Breaking Through
by dolphindragon888
Summary: Ginny is at school and everything seems to be normal but one fine day she discovers certain things about herself that will make her question what she wants and what she's ready to do for it. Femmeslash. Ginny/Hermione
1. Unusual Discovery

_Chapter 1_

_Unusual Discovery_

I have spent most of the summer at the Burrow in the company of Hermione, Harry and my family. Ever since the moment that I met her, I have been captivated by her strong personality and wit; she is clever in all senses. I simply can't resist her allure.

Hermione and I have become very good friends: We can talk about almost anything. Sometimes she confides in me about things Harry, Ron and she are planning. Other times we talk about school stuff or silly things. She now talks about Ron, or "my little wimp bro" as I like to call him. I remember when she used to be in love with Victor Krum: how she used to fancy him, to admire him. Yeah, until my "wimp bro" came into her life…

One day, while in the Three Broomsticks, we were drinking firewhisky and trying to forget the memories of our loved ones in someone else's arms... We had just arrived after a New Year's Ball at Hogwarts. I had to endure seeing Harry dance with Hermione while I danced with Seamus… Ron was with Lavender and Neville with Luna. I couldn't stop myself from looking at Harry and Hermione. Jeez! I was with Seamus, but it was as if I was not there at all. I felt bad because I was hurting Seamus, but I couldn't help myself thinking about Harry or so I thought; I had always liked him. Since the first time I saw him, I was captivated. It was him that I had dreamed of as my knight in shining armour. However, my 'shining knight' never noticed me… not once. He had all sort of girls around him instead of me.

So here I am, at the pub, drinking to forget my pains while the rest of the group talks about the night among other things… we keep drinking until most of us are very drunk. Ronald is sitting next to Hermione and I am next to Harry. At some point we change places, but I don't remember exactly when. Anyway, all of a sudden I see Ron kiss Hermione on the lips and Harry and I look at each other and I can tell he and I share the same thought: "What the….!" The next thing I know, Harry is kissing me! …and I can't believe it: he, the boy of my dreams- the impossible dream, has become true… but wait! This is not what I want…. Weird but true and I just now realise it. My blood is boiling, my face turns red, and I simply can't sit there another minute… I excuse myself and go directly to the bathroom.

Hermione enters the bathroom and asks me what is going on. "Nothing." I tell her simply.

She's still there and I look at her, thinking how beautiful she looks in that pink dress, with her hair hanging loose down her bare back, with her makeup, with that little bit of red on her cheeks. And I see her, once more, in my mind, kissing Ronald, my wimp bro, and I want to scream! I think I'm going crazy. I can't feel what I'm feeling: she is my friend for God sake! What is wrong with me? So I simply keep quiet, hoping that she won't notice a thing.

She doesn't believe me and says, "Come on Ginny, I know you... what's wrong? Aren't you happy that Harry kissed you?"

I lie and tell her: "Yes, I'm happy. It's just that I don't know if he did it because he likes me or because he's drunk." I change the conversation subject and ask what she thinks about my brother, about him kissing her... Hermione tells me that she's stunned; she couldn't believe that Ron had kissed her, and that she actually liked it. It might have been the most beautiful moment for her, but the worst for me and I just realized it. I just don't want to talk anymore.

"Hermione, let's go back to the Common Room, I just want to get some sleep".

"Sure, Ginny."

After Hermione says goodbye to my wimp bro and Harry, who appeared to be in worse state than when we left them before, we decide to head straight to the castle and then get back to the dormitories and went to sleep.

***

The next morning, I woke up with a throbbing headache and was determined to not think about what happened the previous night. I got dressed and went to the Great Hall to have breakfast.

The four long tables had several plates with bacon, scrambled eggs, and toast strewn over them. Harry and Ron sat down at the Gryffindor table next to Hermione who, as usual, was reading one of the books from the library.

When Harry and Ron saw me, they hid into the plates they were eating. Hermione turned to me for an instant, smiled, and then went back to her book.

I sat next to Luna at the Ravenclaw table. Eating breakfast in other houses was not usual at all for a Gryffindor but since I didn't want to be near Hermione (or Harry and Ron for that matter), and Luna and the Ravenclaws didn't mind my company, I tagged along. Luna, who had been reading the Quibbler when she saw me, stopped and graciously asked me about the night.

"You seem rather ill. Busy night?"

"Well, sort of," I replied. "We drank too much Firewhiskey…"

"Oh, I see. Well, did you know that Ron kissed Hermione? It's all over the school."

"Yes, I know…" I was honestly starting to feel uncomfortable.

"I also heard that Harry kissed you. Is that true?

"Yes, he did." To which I added "Look Luna, I have to go, I forgot I had something to do before class, I'll see you then."

"Oh ok, I'll see you in class." Luna said as I left. She looked down and continued to read the Quibbler finding: an "interesting" article about Fairy-Elf terminology by Matilda Pennington.

Later on that day, I found out that Harry had been looking for me but I wasn't eager to go see him, so I kept myself very busy. I couldn't avoid him any longer since we both were in the common room that night.

"Hey Ginny, how are you?" He seemed rather nervous.

Hermione looked up from the book she was reading in front of the fire and watched us intently.

"Hey Harry, I'm fine and you?"

"Oh, great... look Ginny about what happened last night..."

"Harry, please leave it that way, ok? We can talk about it some other time. I have to finish Snape's essay or I'll be in big trouble. Sorry." I ran past him, hardly stopping to notice his mouth agape, or the pleading look he shot my best friend.

I went to the library and sat to write the essay, which was proving very difficult as I was thinking about Hermione and her alone. Luna had just arrived to the Library and it seemed to be looking for someone. When she spotted me, she headed straight to where I was sitting and sat beside me.

"Hi Gin," she was speaking almost in a whisper. "I was looking all over for you." She smiled rather mischievously.

"Hey Luna," I replied as I came back to reality when I heard her voice.

"You look rather stressed, Ginny. Are you alright? You look like you need some fun. There's going to be a Girl Party tonight at the Room of Requirement and I was wondering if you'd like to go."

"I'd love to go Luna, but I have to finish Snape's essay…" I said, genuinely disappointed.

"If I help you with the essay will you come to the party?"

"Sure, thanks!" I said quite happily. Finally, I had something that might help me to clear my mind a little bit and forget, at least for a couple minutes, about Hermione. Oh my sweet Hermione… _What am I going to do about you?_


	2. Answers

_Chapter 2_

_Answers_

Luna and I went to the party and had a great time. It was exactly what I needed to get my mind off my personal ghost woman: a certain ghost who is haunting my nights and days and doesn't let me is quite exhausting, especially when I find her in the corridor in the company of Ron and Harry who are always by her side. And at nighttime, when I have to go to bed, I find her submerged in my dreams, in every one of them. These dreams, as long as they go, are not precisely innocent. I go for days telling myself that this can't go on, that this is not right. I am supposed to go out with boys, to think about them, long for them, to adore them. But no! Instead, all I am thinking about are girls. How this can be? I mean: my parents, my family, everyone since I have memory has taught me that this is "the right way" and any other thought or behaviour is inappropriate and not normal. Yet, here I am, craving like a lunatic for a woman that I know I'm not supposed to feel anything for. What should I do with myself?

I have gone to the library a lot lately, finding myself among books usually from the Restricted Section, looking for some way to extinguish my agony. I've found out that what I'm feeling is not rare, that it's something more common than I thought. But still, even though I know that I can't let myself think or even believe the fact that I like girls, the terrible reality is that I do: there's a small part of me which is growing slowly every day and sometimes even by the minute. I'm not sure of anything anymore; I'm so confused. I mean, it could be just a phase, nothing more. But then again, how am I supposed to find out what exactly I'm feeling, to prove myself that this is just a temporary thing that will go away in time and not something definitive? Soon enough I found the answers to all my questions one night in the library, by the least expected person of all. Who would have thought that Luna Lovegood would be the one clearing them all?

"Hi, Gin!" she said.

"Hi Luna, how are you?" I said, quite surprised to find her standing there. I have heard rumours that Luna was into girls but haven't believe it. There is, however, a certain amount of curiosity inside me, whether the rumours are true or not, and that part of me wants to talk with her, but the other doesn't want to.

"Look Gin, I've being watching you recently and I noticed that something is troubling you… I know what kind of books you have been researching lately…" she said, noticing my perplexed expression. "I just want to tell you that you can trust me with anything that is worrying you, I sincerely want to help you if only you'd let me do so."

"Look Luna... I don't know what you're talking about." I replied, trying to feign innocence.

"Ginny, I know what you are going through, believe me. I have seen how you look at other girls, how you walk into a room scanning it for them, watching them very quickly and turning around so that no one notices it. I can tell because I used to do the same thing. If you ever want to talk about it, you know where to find me, ok?" She started to leave when I called after her.

"Luna, please stay, I'm sorry," I said truthfully. "I don't know what's gotten into me."

"It's alright Gin; I'm here to help you," she said, smiling serenely and returning to my side.

"Please don't tell anyone, I think I'd die if someone finds out…" I was very preoccupied that someone would hear us and spread it all over school.

"Look Gin, don't worry about it, ok? I'm not going to tell anyone about it. Relax, you can trust me. Believe it or not, I consider you a friend," she smiled playfully.

"Thanks Luna, I really appreciate it and for the record: I also consider you a friend."

"I was wondering Luna, if you don't mind me asking… When did you uh… when did you realize that you fancy... girls?" I said the last part almost whispering, she had to lean over to hear what I said.

"Oh, well, what do you say if we go out for a walk and I'll tell you about it then?"

"Sure, let's go."

We gathered our things and went for a stroll around the lake. It was getting dark when we arrived to a little spot near the lake which was surrounded by trees. There was a magnificent full moon in the sky surrounded by stars. They were shining especially beautifully that night. Everything around us appeared so magical, like something taken from a fairytale book. The moon was reflecting on the lake and the air was a little bit chilly. We sat on a rock under an especially big tree, the air smelled musky and salty and you could hear the owls in the Owlery singing a song only known to them. There were a couple of fireflies flying beneath us as if trying to illuminate and warm us with their lights.

"So, as I was telling you: I realised that I liked girls when I first fell for one of the Ravenclaw girls… Of course, nothing happened because she was into guys. A few months ago, I met Charlotte. We became friends and suddenly we discovered that we had feelings for each other. One day, she kissed me and that was everything I needed to confirm that I, in fact, liked girls. Ever since, we have been together and honestly I can't think of a better girl to spend the rest of my life with…" Luna finished her story, a far-off, dreamy look in her eyes.

"I'm sorry to ask, but how could you tell with one kiss that you liked girls? I mean, kissing another girl once doesn't turn you into a… well, you know what I mean..." I said in a hurry, a little bit ashamed.

"It's quite simple actually: when I was kissing Charlotte, I started to feel things that I certainly didn't want to or couldn't feel with a boy. You see, my body started to act on its own; I felt like my blood was on fire, I had an urge to touch her all over, to caress her beautiful and curvaceous body and I felt a certain wetness starting to develop between my legs…" Luna grinned. "All I could think of was her and only her."

"But Looney how can this be possible? I mean, I saw you at the New Year's Ball with Neville. If you and Charlotte are together, why didn't you go out with her?" I asked incredulously

"Well, Neville and I are very good friends, he's such a good guy, believe me... if I were straight, I'd probably date him. I promised him a long time ago that I would go with him to the Ball and besides, as you would probably have heard, the whole school knows that I'm gay… not everyone is very friendly about it."

"Yeah, I guess" I said thoughtfully.

"Gin…" Luna whispered.

"Hmm?" I replied absentmindedly and turned to look at her. I was not expecting a thing; I was taken by surprise by a pair of warm, soft lips kissing me. This kiss was nothing like I had experienced before but still it was everything that I had dreamed about, but fear raised thinking about what Luna's girlfriend would say if she found out that I was snogging her most precious treasure, so I backed up from her a little bit.

She sensed it and quietly asked, "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, it's just that I'm not sure what Charlotte would say if she found out about this..."

"Gin, relax she's not going to find out. Who's going to know besides you and me? I certainly will not tell anyone."

And with that, we kissed again. She pulled me into her arms and held me tight. My breathing was becoming heavier; I started to feel a sea of heat between my thighs that I could identify as the same wetness that I have felt only at night on my bed when I dreamed of doing this very same thing with my sweet Hermione. Luna ran her fingers over my hair, caressing my cheek slightly. Then she started moving her hand very slowly to my breasts, cupping them, caressing gently. Next thing I knew, her hand was travelling all over me, taunting me, making me crave for her, for more. I couldn't seem to focus. My emotions were muddled; I just let myself to feel the lust. She pushed me down very carefully on the green grass, she kept kissing me and a ripple of pleasure washed over my body... I couldn't stop a moan that escaped from my mouth; all I can think is... God I'm in heaven!


	3. Confrontation

_Chapter 3_

Confrontation

I have confirmed everything I needed to know: I do like girls. Now the problem lies in how to face it. I will have to "come out to the world" eventually, but to do that I need to be in peace with my inner self… as cheesy as that sounds. Meanwhile, whilst trying to define and accept what I am, my brother, Harry, and Hermione have been trying to talk to me, to corner me, all in vain.

Hermione has been following me in her free time; they seem really preoccupied. Harry has talked with everyone in Gryffindor House and still hasn't a clue about what is going on with me. I'm grateful for this as I'm still not ready to face them. I honestly don't know when I am going to be able to talk with them about my... um… present condition.

I've spent most of these days in the company of Luna and Charlotte. I finally got to know Luna's girlfriend. She is so kind, clever and passionate; she seems to share the same passion for weird things as Luna. I can see why she is so smitten with her; I really do and, in a way, I envy her. I envy her because she has someone to love her, someone to share things with, and someone to spend the rest of her life with. I know in the bottom of my heart why I envy her... and that's because Charlotte in a way reminds me of _her_, my Hermione.

They have told me how they sorted things in school, with their parents, and everything else. It seemed hard at the beginning, but afterwards everything seemed to fit in place. They told me that there were some professors like Dumbledore and McGonagall who were our "Allies" against bigotry. We always can go to them to sort things out. Most students at Hogwarts are not really evil. However some would talk behind their backs or make fun and others would completely ignore them. Some, like the Slytherins, would confront them by saying something hurtful and sometimes they even tried to jinx them.

Luna, Charlotte, and I have become almost inseparable; we hang out every day. I have met other students at Hogwarts just like us. I'm happy I can say that, for the first time in my life, I feel in peace, in place. Now, how am I going to tell this to Harry, my family, and Hermione? I mean, I can't tell her. I'm afraid that if I do, I'm going to lose her and that's certainly something that I don't want to do. I'd rather have her as a friend than nothing at all.

I have been hanging out with Seamus, Dean and Neville. I know that unconsciously I have been comparing my feelings for boys and girls. I have come to the conclusion that I like both but the thing is that I like boys as friends, nothing more; while with girls, I want them not only as friends but something more than that. Neville and I became friends when he found me snogging with Alicia Spinnet in a deserted corridor on the 7th floor. He took it pretty well. He told me that he had suspected that I was a lesbian because he had noticed the way I looked at girls, especially Hermione. Since then he has helped me to sort things out with "the Trio" Every time that one of them would ask him what's going on with me, he'd cover me.

I am never alone so that Harry, Ron, and Hermione are not able to talk to me. I admit it: I'm probably not a worthy Gryffindor student by avoiding things instead of confronting them. I know that the day to tell the truth is near, but for the moment I don't want to think about it.

I have been spending a lot of time with my friends these days. I remember one day in particular when I went back to the Common Room after another fun day with Luna, Charlotte, and Alicia. We had a double date at the Three Broomsticks that was absolutely hilarious. We laughed a lot about boys; Charlotte told us that one of her fellow Hufflepuff classmates asked her to be his girlfriend. He did not have the slightest idea that she was gay. So, imagine the picture:

There's this cute boy: black hair, green eyes, very pale skin, very tall, calling Charlotte.

"Hey Charlotte, may I have a word with you?" The boy said. He looked kind of nervous.

"Sure, Michael," Charlotte said dismissing her friends.

"Look, um… Charlotte... I really like you, you know?" Michael said looking more nervous by the minute and almost as if he were going to get sick. "I..."

"Michael, what is it that you want to talk about?" she was starting to feel impatient.

"Well, I was wondering if you... if you would like to be my girlfriend?"

"Michael, um sorry, but I already have a girlfriend."

"Right, but I mean... What?"

"Yeah, sorry... I mean, don't get me wrong, I like you too but not as you would like to…"

"Oh, ok... I guess. Well can we at least be friends?"

"Sure Michael, I don't see why not," Charlotte said with a smile.

Sometimes boys can be so clueless about things. I can tell just by looking at them.

The time I spend with my friends flies enormously fast... By the time you realise, It's another day.

Next morning, I go as usual to the Great Hall and sit next to Neville. The Trio look at me and wave as if hoping that I'd join them. I don't know what to do to be honest; I know that I can't keep going like this and that I should talk with Harry about that night at the Three Broomsticks. Jeez! I wish this could be easier... I guess it's time for me to do it; so I go and sit next to my brother, Ron, take a couple of scrambled eggs, bacon, and toast and while I am occupying myself, Harry speaks up in a jumpy way: "Err... um Ginny, I think that we um... we need to talk about what happened you know.... between you and me?" This conversation is obviously being followed by my brother and Hermione.

"Yes Harry we should talk about it," I reply.

"Good! Then, let's go for a stroll to the lake after lunch, what do you say?"

"Sure, I'll meet you there." I can feel the nervousness bubbling inside me but force a smile anyway.

With that, they leave the Great Hall and head to their classes. After finishing my breakfast I get up when Fred and George approach me, "Hey little sis, we want to invite you to our little secret spot and while there, have a chat with you." Both the twins smiled in a rather mischievous way.

"Fred, George, what are you guys doing here?" I say obviously surprised by seeing them standing next to me as they were not part of the Hogwarts ranks anymore. They had left school last year to open their own shop 'Weasley's Wizard Wheezes' in Diagon Alley.

"We have come to visit you of course," George said, winking while Fred said, "Come with us Gin,"

"But…" I am about to protest, but they cut me off, saying "No buts, we'll explain later." So, like you'd guess, I don't have a choice but to go with them and see what these two are up to.

I can't help to be surprised to discover that the twins "secret spot" is none other than the Shrieking Shack. "Guys, you're going to get me into trouble".

"We shouldn't be here and I'm supposed to have a class in an hour."

"Right you said Ginny, in an hour!" They say at the same time, grinning identically.

"So we have plenty of time to talk, little sis," George added.

"So guys, you said that you were here to visit..."

"Yes, that's right, we have some business deal to attend," they both grin at the same time.

"Business..?" I am not sure if I want to know what my brothers are plotting and decide to change the subject. "So, what did you want to talk with me about?

"We have heard rumours that our little sis is breaking the conventional... just to put in a way," Fred continues.

"What do you mean guys? I really don't know what you're talking about…"

"What we would like to know, Gin, is what's going on with you? I mean, you have always been really close to Harry and Hermione and it has been kind of the same with Ronald, but we can't understand why you have distanced yourself from them in the last couple of months, especially since that was when Harry kissed you... We know that something is troubling you, and we want to help."

"How do you know all of this?"

"We have our methods to find out things like this Gin, You of all people should know better," he said and then turning serious, he adds, "So, what is it then?"

"Well..." I start to say when George interrupts me.

"Was it that Harry's kiss was so detestable?" I had to make a huge effort not to laugh.

"No guys... No... Harry's kiss was fine... It's not Harry, it's me... I… um... I… ah... like... girls." This is strange, this is the first time that I am actually telling someone about whom I am, who I like and the fact is that I like it. I feel relieved... and guess what... It feels great! The twins seem very understanding with me, they tell me that they had suspected it a long time ago and that they will support me all the way and that they love me no matter what but that our parents might not be that cheerful about it and after giving me a hug they leave the castle to go back to the shop.

Later that day, after lunch, I go to the lake for my meeting with Harry. He is waiting for me on one of the benches by the water. It is a sunny day and spring can be felt in all its splendour. I sit next to him; he seems very concentrated in trying to find the right words to express what he wants to say, so I start the conversation. "Harry..." I begin to say but he cuts me off.

"Look Ginny, I really like you... I have been attracted to you for so long, I just assumed that you were not interested in me so that's why I never told you about it… Until... until... that kiss... when I saw Ron kissing Hermione, all I wanted was to do that very same thing to you…"

I remain silent, I can't talk... I never expected this revelation, not at this time... Confusion... Lots of ideas enter my mind... Would it be possible for us to start a relationship now that he has confessed his attraction towards me? Would it have changed a thing if he, The Boy Who Lived, had told me sooner? Do I really want that now in my life, now that I know that I like girls?

"Ginny, are you alright?" Harry asks quietly after a moment.

I come out of my thoughts and answer him, "Yes, I'm alright. Look, Harry, I'm flattered... I really am."

"Flattered…" Harry mutters, sounding slightly sad. "Ginny, please just tell me... Is there any chance for us?"

"Harry, I really like you... I really do... but as a friend!"


	4. Surprises

_Chapter 4_

_Surprises_

After that day at the lake with Harry, my relationship with him hasn't been the same. Originally, I had been the one avoiding him, but now it's him. Apparently his manly pride is wounded and it's going to take a certain amount of time to heal. It's a mystery why he hasn't told what happened to Ron or Hermione; I'm grateful because this way I don't need to explain anything to them just yet. Meanwhile, it's been rumoured at Hogwarts that Ron and Hermione are dating; the thing which I've been trying to avoid hearing. Every time I hear someone mention it, I have something very urgent to do or attend to.

Since then, I've been avoiding the common room at certain times of the day when I know Harry, Ron, and Hermione will be there. I have avoided seeing them so much these days that they'll probably consider me a stranger. Nonetheless, I've tried to get on with my life and to relax as much as possible.

All the peace that I was looking for "one day" got shattered when my Potions class matched Hermione's. Slughorn had to combine both classes because his class with the sixth years collided with a very important meeting God knows where. I arrived early for class and sat on one of the desks at the front. I looked at the empty classroom and decided to write in my diary. I started writing about the day but my mind started playing games and I ended fantasising about Hermione, "That was not difficult these days, was it?" I was so concentrated on the image that I was conjuring in my mind, that I didn't feel her sitting next to me.

"Hey Gin," Hermione said pleasantly.

"H-Hi Herm," the way I said it let her know that I was kind of nervous.

"What were you thinking about?" she said while giving a quick look at the book that I had in front of me.

"Nothing really," I said and closed the diary rapidly so that she wouldn't see anything.

"Gin, I've missed you," she said while giving a quick-timid smile.

Her gaze never left me, not until she noticed that Harry, Ron, and the rest of the fifth and sixth-years were starting to enter the classroom.

Soon after, Slughorn entered the room asked us to take our books out.

I placed the textbook on the desk almost instantly and searched for the page that the Potion master had indicated when I felt a hand on my leg startling me and making me jump, knocking the books off of the desk where Hermione and I were sitting. Everyone in the room turned to look at me with curious eyes _eying me maliciously_.

Slughorn eyed me curiously. He didn't expect that one of his 'Top Students' and member of his club would be interrupting him. "Miss Weasley, you don't seem to be your usual self. Are you feeling well?"

_ "I... I'm fine, sir," I added, feeling confused regarding Hermione's actions and was trying to recover from the shock that her hand had caused. The spot where she had put her hand felt strange and cold. _

I sat down while Slughorn turned to the chalkboard and started writing the ingredients for the potion that we were going to have to prepare. Thanks God I was not the cause of losing points for Gryffindor, after all- that was my brother's and Harry's job.

Without stopping to look at me, Hermione said, "You're a little jumpy today, are you alright?" she gave me a playful smile and returned to her book, starting to write the ingredients. I stared at her for a few moments in confusion wondering what on earth had happened and I turn to my textbook trying to remain focused on the rest of the class.

After chopping all the ingredients and stirring numerous times, the potion was ready and is the correct colour. Thanks God that I didn't get any more distractions from Hermione during the class!

Once Slughorn gave us clearance to leave the classroom, I ran to the common room and went to my bedroom; closed the door and looked for any sign of my roommates. I was relieved to find the room was deserted so I made it to the bed and sat down, falling in a deep chain of thought... What just happened? What did she mean that she missed me? Could she possibly mean... No way! And then... her hand was on my leg... or was that my imagination? She actually touched me! _No, No, No... Ginny, you're completely and absolutely hallucinating... this is only what you want to see... It's all your nerves! _I told myself.

I decided not to think about it anymore and went straight to the Great Hall to get some lunch. "Jeez! All this thinking has made me hungry all of a sudden!" I muttered as I descended the staircase.

When I got to the Great Hall, I scanned it for bushy brown hair and was glad to find that she was not there. I sat on the table next to Alicia and rushed for the mashed potatoes and the meat. She just looked at me surprised and asked, "Are you alright Gin?"

"I'm fine," I said after swallowing some mashed potatoes.

"Gin, are you sure that you're alright? You look like you've been hit by a tornado," she said smiling, but it was obvious that she was worried about me since it was not normal for me to go rushing towards food and eating it at great speed.

"I'm alright...Thanks for asking though," I said a little louder than I intended.

This interrogation was the least I needed right now. So I limited myself to eat and drink the food that was on my plate, not looking once at her. I knew that I was being mean to her and that she didn't deserve it but I'm not in love with her. I have never meant to hurt her and I hope I never do. For me, she's a friend to hang out with although we might get a few kisses in the process. _Yeah, I know, who am I kidding right? I should probably talk to her about it_. I decided I would talk to her later.

"Ok... if you say so…" she said rolling her eyes and returned to her plate.

After finishing my classes, I went to the library and spend the rest of the day in it until very late. Realising what time it was, I decided that I should go to sleep. I headed to my room, absentmindedly thinking about the day events when I bumped into someone. I crashed to the floor with a thud... Only to find that it was Hermione.

I noticed that she had been crying; her brown hair was dishevelled and her eyes were full with tears that were pouring down her face.

"Sorry Gin... I didn't notice it was you…" she said apologetically, trying to not let me see that she was crying.

"I'm so sorry Hermione, I wasn't looking where I was going, are you alright?"

"I... I'm fine!" She said loudly. She was trying with all her might not to cry, not to show any emotion but I could tell that she was not as fine as she made herself out to be.

"Herm, it's obvious that you're not ok..." I went towards her, hugged her and sweetly added: "Please come with me..."

Taking her by the hand, I guided her towards the place I thought would be the most comfortable for us to talk: The Room of Requirement

We reached the seventh floor and got into the Room. Once I locked the door I was finally able to take in what was inside. All I wanted was a room where I could sit quietly and talk to Hermione of whatever was her problem and the room certainly had what I had been looking for. It was an exact replica of the common room, only this time it included a steaming pot of tea and some mugs. The fireplace had been lit, giving it a very comforting and homely atmosphere.

Hermione stood barely a few steps from the door where I had left her before going to close the door. She hadn't moved a single muscle; it was like she was in some sort of trance. As I was about to move towards her, she looks at me and whispers my name shakily, "Gin..."

The way she said my name told me that she was far from being ok. I was not sure if she wanted to talk or if she would reject me. So I stood there, petrified, unsure of what to do. My heart told me to go to her, to give her all the support and love that a friend is supposed to give in occasions like this. Finally, after a few seconds of indecision I decided to go towards her but I was stopped midway as a sobbing Hermione thrust herself into my arms and continued to cry into my shoulder…

"Shhh," I said to her while stroking her hair.

Once Hermione seemed calmed enough to talk, I summoned a box of tissues and gave them to her. I look at her with concern and asked, "Hermione, what happened?" She remained in my arms without saying a word for a few more minutes and then I heard a sniffing Hermione saying, "It's…Ron… I discovered him cheating on me with Lavender… as if that wasn't enough, he pressed the dagger even deeper by saying that he didn't love me anymore!"

I looked at her in shock. "My brother did what? I can't believe it!" I was shocked… my brother had cheated on my sweet and adorable Hermione.

"He cheated on me Ginny!" Hermione cried, "He fucking cheated on me! Can you believe it?"


	5. Choosing Sides

_Chapter 5_

_Choosing Sides_

I heard a woman voice saying, "He cheated on me Ginny! He fucking cheated on me! Can you believe it?" and recognised the woman's voice as none other than Hermione Granger's. I was in total shock... I kept hearing it over and over... again and again... _He cheated on me Ginny, he fucking cheated on me._ My "wimp bro" had done the worst thing he could have done... He pulverized the heart of the woman I loved the most... the woman I would do anything for... I'd have rather died than see her in this pain! Everything appeared to be a nightmare! Was I dreaming? I asked myself.... But I couldn't be... she was in front of me, she was real, she was not a dream, and she was suffering... My heart ached just seeing her hurt, wounded, and vulnerable. I want to reach for her, to tell her that she was the most beautiful thing that had crossed this earth, that she melted my heart every time I saw her, that all I wanted to do was kiss her, to make her happy… To give her all I am... I came back to reality, looked at her, and slowly guided her towards the couch in front of the fire and motioned her to sit.

Once we were both sitting, I asked her: "Wait, slow down, how did you find out?"

"The only way I could have! I got to his room to see him and when I walked into the room…there he was with her… on the same bed… covered only by the bed sheets!" Hermione began to cry harder and I pulled her into a hug.

"Shhh, Shhh," I soothed her tenderly.

She continued her explanation, "Then I ran away from there as fast as I could; not paying any attention to where I was going when I bumped into you…"

"He's a bloody git, he doesn't know what he's giving up," I said to her as I felt anger rising at my brother's atrocity and added, "I hope that you are not considering going back to him after what he has done to you, Herm"

I was slightly scared that she would go back to that jerk and was worried for her. All the while, several thoughts started filling my mind: _What was he thinking, honestly? How can he do that to her, to the woman I love? _

Sitting there at Hermione's side, I was hoping with all my soul that she did not want to go back to Ron after what he did to her. All I could do was to wait for her answer...

"No..." she said very quietly and then, like coming to a resolution, she added "I don't want to see that pathetic worm-ass anymore! I don't see what she has that I don't! I can't understand it," Hermione said with desperation in her voice and more tears coming out of her beautiful brown eyes.

"Hermione, you're unique and my brother is a complete thick headed-asshole to give up such a wonderful, amazing, talented, smart, beautiful woman like you for someone like Lavender. If he can't see those things he's blind folded and it's insane. I love you and I care for you, I will not let my brother hurt you again, that's a promise!" I look at her with love and compassion while I remove a strand of her brown hair very softly as one thought crossed my mind: I'm seriously going to murder him!

Hermione smiled softly like reassuring me that she'd be fine and wiped away her tears then, locking eyes with me softly ask "D-Do you mind if I stay in your room, so that I don't have to see him tonight? I-I don't want to be alone tonight!"

"Of course I don't mind, Herm" I reassured her with a smile, "Come on, let's get back before Filch catches us."

Hermione and I made it to the Gryffindor tower without complications, and then as I said the password, the Fat Lady opened the door to let us into the common room. The room was completely deserted and the fireplace was barely lit. We made our way to my dorm and found everyone asleep. Hermione tucked in the bed, immediately falling in a deep sleep. I closed the curtains and lied there, waiting for sleep to take over me. I couldn't help myself but to turn to look at the beautiful woman with brown curly hair sleeping peacefully by my side. It was not long before I fell prey to the "land of dreams".

Next morning, I woke up early and turned around to find a Hermione lying beside me still asleep.

I couldn't help but smile at the sight of the magnificent angel that Hermione is. After a few moments of looking at her, I climbed out of bed very slowly and quietly to not wake her up and went to change my shirt. Then I went to the bathroom and sprayed some water on my face. I looked at the mirror in front of me seeing a very tired Ginny as the previous night's events flashed again while rage took over me and I found myself going to the boys' dormitories, to the Prefect Room, in search of my brother. I was at his door and knocked impatiently, furiously screaming my brother's name "Ronald Weasley, come out here you bloody coward! If you don't open this door immediately I'm going to smash it to pieces and I don't care if someone is with you or not!"

A very angry Ron opened the door. "What the…" when he saw that it was me; he changed his demeanour and mustered a timid "Hi"

He looked at me and was about to ask me something when I walked into the room. He closed the door behind me and said in a whisper and more to himself than me, "Yeah, right, come in." I went straight to the centre of the room and looked at him with burning fury; my face was completely red, my blood boiling.

"What was all that yelling on my door for?" he asked, a reproachful tone escaping from his lips.

I couldn't hold my anger any longer and began to yell more than talk to him, "You cheated on Hermione! How could you do that to her? What's the matter with you? Bloody git! Don't you realise what an amazing woman she is, for God's sake?"

"I-I… well…" he said, obviously confused by my demeanour, then in a more matter-of–factly tone, he added "I don't have anything to explain to you, that's between Hermione and me!"

"You're bloody wrong! She is my friend and I care for her more than you do! Let me say this to you: STAY AWAY FROM HER! If I hear that you hurt her in the near future, you are going to hear from me and it won't matter if you're my brother or not, believe me when I tell you this: You are going to have hell to pay for it! Understood?" And with that, I storm out of the room only to find out that everyone was out of their rooms and apparently they had heard the conversation that I had with my brother. I didn't pay attention to it and stormed out of there, making my way to the common room where Harry spotted me and stopped me.

"Hey Gin..." he said while I just looked at him, still angry with my brother and with limited things to say, "Hi." I mumbled.

"Care to join me for a walk?" he asked pleadingly.

"Harry…" I was going to turn him down but though better of it thinking that that would help me to calm down. "Yes, sure... let's go."

He smiled broadly while putting his arm around me as we started walking. We went to the Quidditch pitch and found a secluded spot. We sat on the grass and looked at the field for a few moments without saying a word. The air felt tense, I felt awkward with the silence. I was immersed in my own thoughts when Harry broke the silence "Are you alright Gin?" he asked giving me a concern look. "What did Ron do to make you so angry with him?"

"He cheated on Hermione, that's what he did!"

"What? But weren't they over?" Harry asked, surprised.

"Well, let's just say that my "sweet brother" broke up with her after she found him in bed with Lavender." He looks at me incredulously for a moment, and then the anger appears on his face.

"I can't believe that he did that! Jeez!"

"Well, we're on the same page... I can't understand it either to be honest… When I heard what he did to her, I went to confront him and the only thing he told me was that he didn't have to give me any explanations, so I told him to stay away from her."

"Gin, I don't think that you should have said that… he's right, you know, this is between Hermione and him."

"What? So are you on his side?" I said, starting to get angrier.

"No! No, I'm not on his side Gin. I just think that you should let them resolve their problems alone. Look Gin, I don't like it either and believe me that I'm going to talk with him about it, ok?"

I nodded and said good bye to him and went to class. I didn't return to the dormitory until very late, only to find out that Hermione was not there anymore. As I got ready for bed, I sighed once and prepared for my nocturnal voyage to a sea of dreams… all commanded by a single person… Captain Hermione.


	6. Left Out

_Chapter 6_

_Left Out_

When morning arrived I got up, got dressed and went to have breakfast. Entering the grand doors of the Great Hall I looked around in search of bushy hair quickly spotting her next to Harry. Ron was in front of them giving Hermione a very nasty look while she focused on her meal and spent time clearly ignoring his glances. Her face was unreadable.

Harry looked at Hermione briefly and then turned to face Ron. He was about to say something when he spotted me and waved. I went towards them and said "Morning everyone". Hermione lifted her gaze from the plate, looked at me with a slight smile and returned to eating. I sat next to her and placed my hand on top of hers under the table to give her support. I used my other hand to grab my breakfast: toast, eggs and bacon. I expected her to pull her hand away at any moment but she didn't. She's in that trance again; not doing anything, not talking. She is just looking at her food, moving the fork, playing with the contents of the plate.

All the while, Ron hasn't stopped staring at her. He would look at her, then look at me with a reproachful, angry look and then back at her. Annoyed, I open my mouth to say something to him, but Harry beats me and says "Ron".

Apparently Ron didn't hear Harry or was ignoring him as he kept looking at Hermione and me. "Ron!" Harry says louder this time, startling most Gryffindors at the table. Everyone looked toward us to see what the commotion was. "What?" was Ron's only response between mouthfuls, his gaze never leaving us; he didn't pay attention to Harry.

"We need to talk mate!" Ron finally looks at him while saying "I'm eating Harry, can't you see? I'm still hungry!" he pouted like a little boy that was annoyed with the interruption.

Hermione look at Ron with disgust "You're always hungry! Will you ever stop eating?" My angel's bookworm voice was filled with anger and resentment.

Ron turned to look at her "You…. How dare you talk to me!" he said, pointing at her. His face was red with anger. He appeared contemplating approaching Hermione. Ron looks like a lunatic, for Merlin's sake! I have to stop this nonsense! He doesn't know what he's doing and I'm afraid for her; I don't care if he beats the crap out of me but I will not let that happen to her. I walk in front of Hermione to cover her from any damage that my mad brother could do.

"You! You're supposed to be my sister!" Ron yelled and was about to say something more when Harry started dragging him out of the Great Hall. I heard Harry telling him "Before you say something or do something that you'll regret…."

Everyone stared after him in shock. Once Ron was out of the Hall, everyone went back to what they were doing before. In the meantime, Hermione stared at me. I didn't notice it because I was watching at Harry and Ron leave. When I notice her looking at me, I turn to her, smiling sweetly and blushing a little bit under her gaze. Placing a hand on her shoulder, I silently ask her if she is all right.

Hermione smiled in reassurance. Then opened her mouth and said "Gin, could you meet me in the Common Room once you finish your lessons?"

"Sure Herm" I reply and she turns to leave, but I grab her hand "If you need anything, anything at all, don't hesitate to look for me ok?" I say smiling lightly. She gives a faint nod, releases my hand and leaves the Great Hall to attend to her lessons.

I went to classes all morning, never really paying much attention to what the teachers were saying, instead, I was absorbed in my own thoughts. "Why would my brown eyed angel wants me to see her at the Common Room? Don't be silly Ginny…She wants to talk about Ron, what other reason could there be for her wanting to see you? You're her best friend you idiot!"

After finishing debating with myself, I decided to stop thinking about it and go to lunch. Luckily for me "The Inseparable Trio" was not in sight and I was able to eat in peace. I went to the rest of the classes and as you'd expect it I passed the time not listening to anything and counting the minutes until my meeting with Hermione.

I said the password to the Fat Lady, passed the portrait hole, found myself in a very crowded Common Room. There were a couple of boys talking on the corner; Parvati and Padma were beneath the window talking animatedly with a boy with brown hair. In other corner of the room, my brother and Harry were playing Wizard chess while Hermione was sat on the sofa in front of the fire, reading a very thick book. Neville was, as usual, looking for his toad Trevor and tripping over and annoying people.

One by one, the people in the common room started disappearing to their dorms until only Harry, Ron, and Hermione remained. When Harry saw me, he stopped playing waved hello. Ron looked at me for an instant and, turning to Harry, grumbled "I'm going to bed, are you coming mate?" Harry gave Ron a 'you're incorrigible look' while saying "Sure, let's go" All the while, Hermione had been hearing this exchange but was looking at the fire deep in thought. When the boys went upstairs, I went and sit next to Hermione. I couldn't keep myself from looking at her, there was something misty about how the light of the fire was illuminating her face and giving a certain flicker in the eyes. Her hair is falling on her shoulders; her nose is perfectly straight and flawless, without a doubt the most perfect nose that I have ever seen. Her cheeks are pink and have a certain red tone of kind like a blush. Then my eyes linger on her warm, soft, moistened lips and I can't help but to think how beautiful she is, how much I would like to kiss her, to feel her brushing my lips even if it was only for a minute. What does she tastes like? I wonder. I tear my eyes from her and make myself look at the fire in front of me thinking about her reason for wanting to see me.

I'm not sure what to do to be perfectly honest; this silence is killing me… Should I remain motionless or should I try to touch her to acknowledge my presence? Should I say something or should I wait for her to speak? Finally I decide to remain quiet and wait for her to speak, to say anything... I crave for her voice to hear what she has to say.

After a few minutes of silence that seemed like an eternity she turns to look at me and smiles briefly.

And there it is… what I been dying for…I hear the sweet melody of her voice saying, "Hi Gin,"

"Hi Herm, are you ok?" I manage to say

"I'm fine Ginny, why do you ask?" She looks at me curiously

The look that she gives me makes feel weird but I reply anyway: "Um, well, it's just that you looked as if you were somewhere else...like in another world..."

She is in an instant off to that "world" again when she realizes what she is doing and answers: "Gin, sorry, no... I'm fine. It's just that Ron and I had a conversation. Sorry if I was distracted... what are you doing here?"

I look at her incredulously, "Herm, you asked me this morning to meet you here... remember? But setting aside that, what is going on, didn't you tell me that you didn't want to see my brother anymore?"

"I... had been recollecting my previous conversation with Ron all day and with all the assignments that I had to do... Well, I lost the track of time..., I'm sorry Gin,"

"Do you want to talk about it?" I asked calmly, trying not to distress her anymore than she already was.

"Look Gin, it's been a pretty long day and I'm exhausted. Maybe we can talk about it later?"

"Sure...it's ok... I get it." I say the last part with disappointment as I'm a little bit hurt at the fact that she talked to Ron when she said she didn't wanted to. But then again, it's Ron for Heaven's sake! Of course she would talk to him, not once but always. What was I expecting? I'm such an idiot!

I see her leaving towards her dorm, climbing the stairs to disappear behind the girls' dormitories door and then to her Head Girl dorm. I am unable to move, I'm stunned and very mad at her. I can't believe that she left me like that, without telling me anything. Not even a "Thanks Ginny" for confronting your Big-ASS-FUCKING brother! Jeez! I better get to bed and forget about it. And as of tomorrow, I'll be trying with all my being to get rid of my feelings for her... I can't stand another minute of this! I only wish I knew what Hermione is feeling or thinking...


	7. Encounters

_Chapter 7_

_Encounters_

_(Hermione's Point of View)_

Tonight the Common Room is full as usual. Most students are chatting with each other while others like Ron and Harry are playing Wizard's Chess in a corner; Neville is looking under the plush scarlet sofas, behind the overflowing bookshelf, in search of his missing toad, Trevor.

"Hi, Hermione, have you seen Trevor?"

"No, I have not, "I answered kind of annoyed.

He has been looking for him all day but still there's no sign of the toad. I can't stand Neville right now; well it's not only him, I can't stand mainly anyone. I just want to be alone! I say nothing and sit in my favourite sofa in front of the fireplace while opening a thick book of Mythological creatures in the Muggle World and prepare to read. I start to read the first paragraph and my mind goes to the conversation that I had this afternoon with Ron. I try over and over to distract myself from it and find myself reading the same text again and again. Eventually I give in and recall today's events with a certain red headed boy with freckles...

We were in the middle of Defence Against the Dark Arts class when Ron sends me a little piece of paper. I look at him with confusion and he just looks at me indicating the little piece in my hand and whispers "Read it." I read the note quickly: "I think that we should talk Hermione, don't you agree?" I give him an annoyed look and mutter, "We are in class!" and return my attention towards Slughorn's speech. A few minutes later, someone touches my arm to get my attention and I see Dean. "Ron sends you this." he whispers. I thank him and turn to look once more at Ron, giving him another irritated look and then turning to the little square in my hands, I unfold it carefully and read: 'Meet me after class to talk, I'll be waiting for you." I'm completely and utterly annoyed not only for being distracted from the class but also because I don't want to talk to him and can't help to wonder: What could he possibly say after what he did to me? I turn to look at him for the umpteenth time and see him staring at me with pleading eyes that beg me to meet me: "Please. "Ron mutters but is caught by Slughorn who is looking at him intently.

"Mr Weasley, I'd appreciate if you could get back to my class, what I'm saying is extremely important. It will be on the exams, I can guarantee that." Slughorn's booming voice broke Ron stupor.

Ron's face has turned a scarlet red colour. He blinks, surprised, but looks at his teacher while answering: "Sorry Sir..."

Slughorn nods and returns to the front of the class to continue what he was saying. Ron sinks in his seat but turns to look at me and tries to find an answer to his note in my face. I sense that he's staring at me and turn to look at him straight in the eyes and nod curtly before returning my attention to what the teacher is saying.

Once Slughorn dismisses the class everyone starts leaving the room. Harry and Ron were some of the first ones to abandon it. I stayed behind a little bit as I put the books in my bag and left the classroom for my meeting with Ron.

Ron had been waiting for me outside the class....

"Hi Hermione." He looks a little bit nervous.

"Hi Ron, where's Harry?" I replied, trying to sound casual but was curious to know where he could be.

"He had Quidditch practice... You see... now that he's captain he's been putting extra practices so that our game improves."

"Shouldn't you be joining them?" I said this as I was starting to feel sick and didn't want to have this meeting with him.

"Well, yes... But I told Harry that I had a very important thing to do and he gave me the day off."

"Oh! Well... That's nice of him." I said, a little bit disappointed at the fact that I'd have to talk to him and stop being a coward and face whatever he has to say.

Ron looked at me and said, "I was thinking: since it's a Hogsmeade weekend… why don't we go to the Three Broomsticks and have a talk?"

"Ok, let's go."

We leave the castle, reach Hogsmeade, and enter the Three Broomsticks. The place was deserted and had a gloomy air. The lights were low and the air had the smell of cigars, combined with alcohol was intoxicating. I felt the air leave my lungs with the absence of oxygen, my knees getting weaker and I started feeling dizzy.

Seeing that I was about to faint, Ron took me to a table near the bar and helped me sit down. I heard him saying something to Rosmerta but couldn't tell what it was. I sat there catching my breath until he came back with a pair of butterbeers and sat next to me. He gives me one all the while looking worried. "Hey... You ok?" his gaze never leaving me as if trying to tell if I'm ok.

I smile...I'm so happy to see that he is concerned about me, that he still cares. The smile fades away as fast as it had appeared as the scenes of the day that I found him with Lavender start flowing in my mind. The smile becomes a frown and tears start running their way down my face. I was trying in vain to remain calm but couldn't help myself "Why?" I said between sobs.

Ron looks at me with a confused expression... "Why?" and it dawns on him what I was asking. He looks at me, embarrassed, but doesn't say a thing.

He puts an arm around me that I quickly brush it off, feeling uncomfortable and offended all the same. He doesn't know what to do so he says in his best apologetic voice, "I've been a git haven't I?"

"Yes, you have." I said truthfully.

"I... Look... the truth is Hermione, that well, it's been a while that I haven't felt anything for you. I just want us to be friends; I don't want to lose my best friend Hermione."

Why didn't you just tell me?" I can't help but let the anger and disappointment to show in my voice.

"I'm sorry for what happened, for being a coward and not telling you sooner about it... " Ron looks timid... he knows that I'm angry he doesn't want things to get worse. "Do you think that we can be friends?" he gives me his best puppy eyes to make me forgive him.

"You know, the puppy-eyes look won't help you here... I think that it will be a little bit difficult Ronald, as I still have feelings for you, and by the way, you're not only a coward but a jerk!"

He looks at me sadly and says, "Yeah....,... I'm sorry Hermione."

"Look Ron, just give me some time ok?"

He nods and keeps quiet... afraid that I might yell at him.

"Tell me something... Why the sudden change?"

"Well, you see... Harry... he... um, he made me see that I was acting stupid..." then he changes the subject quickly. "You know... Ginny came this morning yelling at my door...while he says this scratches his head, "She is mental if you ask me!"

Ron gives me a last glance and asks me, "Shall we get back to the castle?"

"Yes, it's getting late."

We left the Pub and returned to the castle. When we arrived it was dinner time, so we headed to the Great Hall to grab a bite to eat. I barely eat and made my way to the Common Room.

I have been sitting here for what seem hours when I realize that someone is sitting next to me...Ginny Weasley.

I look at her smiling briefly, "Hi Gin."

She looks at me with concern and asks me, "Hi Herm, are you ok?"

"I'm fine Ginny, why do you ask?" I look at her not really sure why she's asking me if I'm ok...

"Um, well, it's just that you looked as if you were somewhere else... like in another world." Ginny says.

_I wonder why Ginny went to Ron's room this morning__._ I heard that she was yelling at him... that's what I heard some of the boys were saying at dinner.

"Gin, sorry, no... I'm fine. It's just that Ron and I had a conversation. Sorry if I was distracted... what are you doing here?" I look at her again with confusion... _Why is she sitting here, next to me as if waiting for something?_ I thought.

"Herm, you asked me this morning to meet you here... remember? But setting aside that, what is going on, didn't you tell me that you didn't want to see my brother anymore?" Ginny looks at me incredulously.

"I... had been recollecting my previous conversation with Ron all day and with all the assignments that I had to do... Well, I lost the track of time..., I'm sorry Gin" I said truthfully.

"Do you want to talk about it?" She says very calmly.

"Look Gin, It's been a pretty long day and I'm exhausted. Maybe we can talk about it later?" I was indeed very tired and didn't want to talk about it right now... I have lots of things to think about. I just want to go and sleep.

"Sure...It's ok...I get it." I hear Ginny saying... disappointment clear in her voice and I can't help but to be sorry about it. To leave her like this, but I can't talk to her, not in my state of mind... I have so many things on my mind right now to digest. I'll talk to her later, I'm sure she won't mind.

I climbed the stairs, open the girl dormitory door and stepped in front of the portrait muttering the password "Fidelity." Entering the dorm, I change to pyjamas and go to bed, falling asleep almost instantly.


	8. New Friend

_Chapter 8_

_New friend_

The following morning, I begin to stir in my bed as the first rays of sunshine starts to fill my bedroom. I open my eyes lazily and turn to look at the alarm clock on the night table beside me noticing that it is 9 am. Not trusting my eyes, I look at the clock once more realising that indeed is very late and panic takes over me.

In an instant I get up from the bed and make my way to the dresser picking up my uniform and dressing extremely fast. Then, I go directly to the chair near the window in my room and grab the bag filled with books. Opening the door, I rush towards the Great Hall.

Once there, I search the room quickly noticing that the place is deserted...

_No wonder why the room is empty, I'm so late for class! McGonagall is going to kill me! _I can't help but to be angry with myself for having overslept. I sit in my usual spot at the Gryffindor table grabbing a piece of toast that I start chewing very fast while, with the remaining hand, I grab the goblet full with pumpkin juice in front of me and drink the contents at high speed_. _

I am in such a hurry to finish what I'm eating that I don't notice Ginny and Alicia Spinnet standing in front of me. They sit together and begin to help themselves to the food that is placed in the center of the table. Ginny turn to look at me and mutters "Hi, Hermione" she is wearing a pair of blue tight jeans, a pink turtleneck and her red shining hair is hanging loose. _Why is she dressed like that? Wait! Alicia is also wearing civvies. No, no, it's just my mind playing tricks with me, yes, that's it. For Merlin's sake, I should be at class! _

"Hi Gin," I lock eyes with her for an instant and find myself blushing slightly. She gives me a faint smile and returns to the plate of food in front of her. From time to time, Alicia glances in Ginny's direction with a look of admiration yet Ginny would be oblivious to it. She catches Alicia looking at her once and gives her a funny smile that I can't identify.

That was all my brain needed to start working at high speed: '_I have never seen these two together before, I wonder if it's Ginny's new best friend. Of course it is! You know that Ginny is very popular; she is always surrounded by lots of people. What's wrong with me? Why am I acting like this, she has every right to be friends with anyone she chooses to. Am I jealous? Jealous! No! I'm not jealous! It's just seems weird to see how close they appear to be... For Merlin pants! Ginny is barely paying attention to me!'_

_Yes, I know, who am I kidding? I am jealous of Alicia. I wish that Ginny could talk with me instead of her 'new friend'. I can't help but to feel a little bit sad about it, I know that she is probably mad at me for not talking to her yesterday; maybe that is why she is behaving like this._

I really don't want her to notice that it has affected me in some way, so I leave the remaining toast on the plate not feeling hungry anymore. Then, grabbing my bag and the morning Daily Prophet, I get up and prepare to leave when Ginny says "Where are you going Hermione? Why are you dress in school uniform?"

"Where do you think Ginny? I'm late for class!" I reply very annoyed at being questioned as I am already very late.

Ginny looks at me perplexed and worried but manages to say sarcastically: "Oh, really, and what class is that? I don't recall the sixth years to have class on Saturday or for that matter any student at Hogwarts! Ginny then, looks at the raven haired girl sitting next to her and asks her "Right Alicia?"

Alicia looks at Ginny nodding simply to confirm what Ginny have said. She looks at Ginny longer than necessary but feeling that I had been staring at her, Alicia turns away, blushing a little bit, and resumed eating what it's on her plate.

"So," Ginny says "you haven't answer my question, why are you in school uniform on a Saturday morning?"

"I-I'm sorry but I have to leave, See you later," I say and leave the Great Hall in a rush not giving Ginny any chance to reply.

Once out of there, I make my way to my dorm and change clothes not wanting to be the reason for the Slytherins or other student to make jokes. With a heavy sigh, I start walking towards the only place that I know I can be alone and think without being bothered, The Library.

The Library was almost empty except for a few Ravenclaw students that were scattered among the aisles.

Without saying a word to anybody, not stopping to say hi to Madam Pince as I normally would do, I make my way to my favourite spot near the Restricted Section and sit down.

I have always liked this place because it provides all the privacy that I need to study or think, like in this case. On rare ocassions, I'd have to ask Madam Pince for help to get rid of unwanted guests.

I see from the corner of my eye the librarian approaching me so, I take a sheet of parchment out of my bag, some quills and some ink and start writing when she finally reaches me. "Good Morning dear" Madam Pince says while scrutinizing me with her gaze.

"Morning Madam Pince. I'm so sorry for not stopping by and say hi..." I managed to say, indeed sorry for what I had done but at the same time feeling uncomfortable because she is here looking intently at me trying to discern whether I am alright or not.

"Not a problem dear," she says, pausing for a little bit and then adds, "are you alright?"

This is the cue for my brain to start working at high speed immersing myself in deep thinking and oblivious to my surroundings.

_Am I alright? Of course I'm not! What was that all about with Ginny and Alicia, I wonder...? But what it's more important... What is wrong with__ me? Why am I acting like this? I know that I'm jealous, I admit that, but why? Why can I be possibly jealous of my best friend having a new friend?_

"Dear..." Madam Pince calls me without obtaining any reply from me. Then, she touches my arm to awaken me from wherever I am.

"Mmm?" I look at her with confusion.

"I asked if you are alright, Hermione," Madam Pince said patiently while taking a sit next to me.

"I'm alright Madam Pince. I-I just... well... It's nothing really."

"Hermione dear, is obvious that you are not ok, what's the matter?"

"It's nothing really; I'm just a little bit confused that's all"

"What about dear?"

I am about to tell her when a very attractive Ravenclaw girl with dark hair appears.

The Ravenclaw girl is no other than Cho Chang...

"Om, sorry to interrupt, Madam Pince... " She says and noticing that she is talking to me she apologizes "I'm sorry I'll come back later..."and with that, she goes toward her other friends and remains there.

"So, you were saying dear...?"

"I..." I fall silent once more, _I don't know if I should tell her, what would she think if I tell her that I'm jealous of my best friend having other friends, or that Ronald cheated on me?._ No, I should not tell her about it as she will probably think that I'm nuts! And with that, I come up with a resolution; I'll come up with an answer by myself.

"Thanks, Madam Pince, but the answer to this is something that I have to work out myself," and with that, I leave the Library.


	9. Curious By Nature

_Chapter 9_

_Curious by Nature_

Going out of the Library I'm momentarily surprised to see Ron and Harry leaning on the wall waiting for me.

Harry strolls up, places his arm about my shoulder, and with a cheerful smile says, "Hi Hermione!" Ron offered his own hello as he steps on my other side.

"What's up guys?" I say, giving them a suspicious look.

"Oh Hermione, you're no fun sometimes! Come with us if you want to find out." says Harry with a mischievous grin that is accompanied by Ron's. _These two are obviously up to something. I have to find out what it is! _I think, looking between Ron and Harry.

I have always been curious by nature. I have to say that it's one of my worst faults or my best quality. I guess it depends on how you see it, right? But for me, well, it has always been bad. Ever since my first year at Hogwarts I have had to fight against it.

If curiosity hadn't taken me over in our first year, well, Harry and Ron wouldn't have been able to pass the Devils Snare. The three of us have gotten into many a mess, but always seem to come out all right... well... except for that one time in my fourth year when I turned myself into a cat! Yes! You heard right! A cat! That didn't go as planned at all, now did it? For Merlin's Beard Hermione, quit rambling to yourself!

So, like I was saying, yeah, curiosity took the best of me and I went with my two best friends to God knows where.

I have always known that Harry has a knack for finding trouble. Oh please! Don't get me wrong here, I love Harry, he is one of my best friends, he's brave, noble, friendly (most of the times), he is a very good friend, loyal, he loves to do things that don't abide by rules among other things; but let's face it, Harry always seems to attract trouble.

After an hour since leaving the Library we reach our destination, The Shrieking Shack...

We go down through the shadowy hallway with its twisted passageway, and then, climbing the crumbling stairs, we reach a room covered with debris and dust. I can also see an old tattered piano in the corner of the room and a burned fireplace. I recognize it at once, this is the room were in my third year at Hogwarts, Harry, Ron and I met Sirius Black; a mass murdered convict who escaped from Azkaban and that happened to be Harry's godfather. Sirius was an animagus; he could transform himself into a dog. The same dog, that dragged Ron and his pet Scabbers, who later on we discovered was also an animagus and was no other than Peter Pettigrew. At that time, we found out that Peter was the one who betrayed Harry's parents to Voldermort and that Sirius was innocent.

I was so afraid for Ron at the time! He was hurt and I couldn't bear to see him like that. _I had had a crush on him since that time... a crush that later turned into love... and love into hate._ _Did_ _I say hate?, no, not really hate, it's resentment. Yes, that's what it is!_

"Hermione," Harry says, but I don't hear him.

Harry looks at me intently and worried. He says, "Hermione, Are you all right?"

Ron and Harry notice that I am far away and both yell into my ear, "Hermione!"

I look at both of them confused but manage to say, "What?"

Ron and Harry look at each other for a few minutes. Harry finally breakes the silence and adds, "Are you ok Hermione?"

"Yes... Why do you ask?" I expect Harry to answer but instead Ron does: "Well, we were talking to you but you were not answering..."

"Oh, it's nothing," I reply, cursing myself for not paying attention.

"Ok, if you say so," Harry says while motioning me towards a small table with three chairs around it in the back of the room that I haven't noticed.

I sit down and wait for them to speak, all the while looking from Harry to Ron both of whom give a mischievous smile. Harry looked at Ron nodding his head beckoning him to begin but Ron stands still. Finally, Ron breaks the silence and says very serious: "Hermione, we are extremely worried for Ginny, I... I can't talk to her you see...." Ron is interrupted by Harry who continues "What we want you to do is for you to talk to her about it this Christmas. We know that you have plenty of time to make her spill the beans"

I look at both of them while thinking to myself how on earth I am going to make Ginny tell me what's going on with her. Yeah, sure... I have plenty of time but Ginny is especially stubborn if she wants to be, and if she doesn't want to tell me, how am I going to convince her otherwise? "Ok guys, I'll see what I can do about it ok?" I said honestly.

I think of telling them what I saw in the Great Hall with Ginny and her new friend but decide it's better not to.

We leave the Shrieking Shack and go back to the castle and head to the Gryffindor Tower. Once there, we go through the portrait hole and enter the Common Room.

Harry and Ron go straight to the boys' dorms while I go to my own. Grabbing my things, I go to Defence Against the Dark Arts with my inseparable friends, Harry and Ron.

After class we go to lunch and sit down in our usual spot at the Gryffindor table. I take a slice of roast beef, mashed potatoes and some beans from the plates in front of me and look around the table spotting Ginny sitting next to Alicia while Luna and another Ravenclaw girl that I don't know, are sitting next to them. Why are Luna and her friend sitting at our table? It's not usual at all for any student to eat in another house's table. Neville says hello to Luna and to the other Ravenclaw girl and then resumes eating. Luna spots Harry, Ron and me and waves hello. She looks at Harry and Ron briefly and then, she sets her gaze on me, giving me a mischievous smile. Her eyes have that dreamy expression so characteristic of her. Luna turned to look at Ginny momentarily and then back to me with a strange look that I am not able to identify. She then grabs the spoon full of pudding and takes it to her mouth. Luna drops the spoon on the plate and takes the Quibbler, opening it. Turning it upside down, she starts reading it. All the while, I can't help but to stare at Ginny, how beautiful she looks, with her hair into a ponytail. Her skin so pale and full of freckles and her sky-blue eyes filled with so many emotions.

I see her paying attention to Alicia and a surge of jealousy takes over me. I want her to notice me.... I hear myself saying, "Ginny" She looks at me with questioning eyes and a certain glint of curiosity. Then, I see a momentary flicker of fire in her eyes and before I can define whether it is real or not, it is gone. "Hermione" it's the only thing she says but her tone is cold. I can't help but to shiver at this new way of treating me.

I try to catch her attention again but apparently she chooses to ignore me for the remaining time that I stand in the Great Hall. I see her standing up from the table, taking Alicia's hand to help her to get up. Then, they leave the Great Hall, hand in hand, disappearing behind the doors.

Later that day, after classes, I go to see the boys practice and head to the Quidditch pitch. On my way there, I catch a glimpse of Ginny with Alicia sitting on a bench near the Great Lake. They are talking and suddenly Alicia starts crying. Ginny looks unsure as to what to do for a moment and then, she hugs her friend trying to comfort her.

I go closer to them and hide behind a tree to get a better look. Alicia hugs Ginny back and says something to her that I can't hear. Ginny separates a bit from Alicia while looking at her straight in the eyes and caresses Alicia's hand tenderly. Seeing Ginny caressing Alicia's hand makes my insides boil with anger. I can't think clearly but nonetheless, I stay at my place not daring to move a single muscle. Ginny is getting close to Alicia's face, she closes her eyes and Alicia does the same..._Oh God, they are going to kiss! Just great!_

I can't tell what happens next as at that precise moment, Neville appears in front of me startling me "Hello, Hermione"

"Hello Neville" I say in a harsher way than I intended as the anger of seeing Ginny and Alicia is still present. I am afraid that both girls had heard me but don't do anything about it.

"Are you going to go to the Quidditch Trials?" Neville asks, smiling shyly.

My eyes turn to look where Ginny and Alicia are. They don't seem to notice anything unusual as they are talking again. More to remind myself about what I was supposed to be doing than anything else, I say to Neville: "I was on my way to the pitch when..." I keep staring at them and find myself unable to say another word.

Neville looks to where I was looking and smiled as if a wave of understanding has come over him. "Ginny is going to participate in the trials, you know?" Neville says, and adds, "and so is Ron." This statement makes me feel extremely uncomfortable and sick. I haven't thought of Ron. Now that it comes to mind, I haven't thought of him for a long time. What's wrong with me? Why am I suddenly angry at Alicia?, Why am I noticing now, that Ginny is beautiful, Beautiful? Did I say that? Oh for Merlin's Beard I'm in deep trouble!

I finally look at Neville and answer him, "Yes, I know Neville. Thanks for the reminder" I said sarcastically.

Neville doesn't seem to notice it and adds, "Do you mind if I go with you to the pitch?" He then, offers me his arm in a very gentleman way and waits for me to take it. Before taking his arm, I glance at Ginny and Alicia briefly. We make our way to the Quidditch grounds and go toward the stands. We sit in the lower seats of the Stadium to have a better view. There are some scattered students in there but none payed attention to us.

Flying in on their brooms are Harry and all the students that were to trying to be in the team. Among those students are, Mclaggen who I happen to know because he was part of the Slughorn club, Dean Thomas, a guy named Mcornick, the Creavey brothers, Ron , Ginny and several other students as well, that I don't recognize.

The first to try for the Keepers position is a very uptight Mclaggen. Harry gives instructions as to what to do to. He saves several goals but fails the last one. Harry doesn't seem very pleased with the results but doesn't say a thing.

The next person to try was Ron, who flies to the center of the rings and waited for the first shot. He misses it; then, comes the second and the third one missing them too. Neville and the rest of the team are very angry with him and can't believe that he had missed so many goals thanks to his lack of self confidence. Nonetheless, Harry who is completely exasperated with Ron says, "Ok Ron, this is your last chance." Harry instructed the girl who was Chaser for this occasion to throw the Quaffle once more and to everyone's surprise Ron saves it.

Harry announces that there is no winner yet for the Keepers position as he wants to do another test before making his decision. Mclaggen pouts like a little kid that didn't have what he wants and says, "Come on Harry, you know I've won!, You don't need another test to know that it was fare and square while your mate was ridiculous by saving only a goal"

"MCLAGGEN!" Harry yells angry at him, "I'm the Captain and I decide what it's needed to become part of the team. If you're not satisfied with it, then I would suggest that you leave!" to which Mclaggen doesn't say anything but when Harry turned to talk to the rest of the people there, Mclaggen muttered something and spits at the air.

Harry continues to test the remaining students and rejects some of them. When he finally has olny a few people, he announces, "We'll play as if we were on a real game. Once the game is over, I'll announce who's made it into the team. Ok guys?"

Everyone agrees and Harry announces which positions everyone would be playing. "Ron, you're going to be Keeper. Mclaggen and Ginny, you are going to be Chasers, Mcornick and Dean will be Beaters and I will be Seeker."

The game starts immediately with a goal from Mclaggen. He looks at Ron and starts making cruel jokes about him. Even though Harry reprimands him, Mclaggen keeps doing it for almost the rest of the game.

Near the end of the game, Ginny takes Dean's club sending a bludger towards Mclaggen who was oblivious to it. The bludger hit its target making Mclaggen fell of his broom unconscious.

The game was over, Mclaggen is sent to the Hospital Wing and Harry says that after what happened he would announce the results the following morning. The players start to disperse towards the locker rooms.

_Wh__at the Hell happened with Ginny! Why on earth did she do that? I have to have a word with her about it! _I think and say to Neville, "I have to talk with Ginny about what she did to Mclaggen."

Neville looks at me and nods curtly "I know... " He said and then added, "but Mclaggen deserved it Hermione"

I don't hear the last part. I start walking towards the locker room in search for Ginny...


	10. Conscience’s voice

_Chapter 10_

_Conscience's voice_

There are not many girls applying for the team, but those there for the tryouts were finishing changing or talking, and disappeared as soon as they saw me enter the room.

I spot Ginny in the far end corner, placing some things inside her locker. I make my way to where she is and can't help myself from yelling her name in sheer anger, "Ginny Weasley!" Ginny jumps, not realising that I had come into the room.

She turns around to look at me, looking genuinely surprised to see me standing there and says, "Hermione, I didn't see you coming, what are you doing here?"

"Why on earth did you hit McLaggen with that bludger for?" I hear myself saying unable to stop yelling.

Ginny looks taken aback momentarily but says matter-of-factly, "You know perfectly well why I did it Hermione... He deserved it."

"Nobody deserves a bloody bludger thrown at them!"I reply, angry not only for what she had done but also because I feel like I don't know her anymore.

"What! You gotta be kidding right? For Merlin's sake Hermione, are you on his side?" Ginny says obviously very angry with me.

"No, I'm not Ginny," I say more calmly this time, "What he did was wrong but it's also wrong to go around hitting people with bludgers. I thought that you were different, but I guess I was wrong," and with that, I storm out of the locker room and go towards my room leaving a very stunned Ginny behind.

I don't want to think about the day events anymore, as I am extremely upset with Ginny, so I go to my bed and fall asleep.

The following morning, I wake up, wash my face, get dressed, comb my hair as best as I can, and go to breakfast.

I spot Ginny at the Gryffindor table sitting next to Alicia. She looks at me briefly, gives me a reproachful look and resumes eating.

Noticing our exchange of looks, Harry asks me once I sat next to him, "Everything ok between you and Ginny?"

I blush a little bit at Harry's question but answer him nonetheless, trying my best to look innocent, "Everything is fine, why do you ask?"

"Hermione," Harry says patiently, as if trying to explain something to a kid, "I know you too well. I know that you two had a fight"

Considering the possibility of telling him or not... I watch Ginny wipe a drop of cream off Alicia's face. At that precise moment, I get up from my seat, and say to Harry, "Geez Harry, You're so tactless sometimes!" and storm out.

Harry chases me into the hallway and grabs my arm, "Hermione, wait. What's wrong?"

"Oh nothing! It's just... Ginny... bludger... McLaggen" I tell to Harry rambling, anger taking over me.

Harry looks at me incredulously and after a long pause, he says, "That's it?, A bloody bludger?, That's why you're mad?"

I stomp the floor, furious now at Harry for not understanding a single thing. "Boys!" I huff and run away, leaving an astonished Harry to wonder what has just happened.

Instead of heading to the library, my preferred place in all Hogwarts, I chose to go to a secluded spot near the lake not known to anyone but me. I sit beneath a blossoming tree full of beautiful red flowers and inhale the cherry scent emitted by them. This place is my second favourite at Hogwarts, because it gives a perfect view of the lake and the surroundings without giving you away.

Sitting there, I give myself a chance to think, to reason about what is going on with me. _Why is it that things that affected me so much once, now don't seem to have that effect anymore? Why does seeing Ginny with a new best friend, suddenly makes me jealous? Or why does seeing Ginny touching her....makes my blood boil in anger. Why on earth am I having these reactions whenever I see Ginny with Alicia? Alicia.... She is the reason I'm mad! She is driving Ginny away from me and her friends. Yes! That's why I am jealous and angry; she is being a terrible influence on Ginny. But... wait. Ginny, caressed her hand near the Lake... and just this morning...she wiped off the cream of Alicia's face... Hmm, could Ginny... possibly be a lesbian? NO, NO, NO, NO... that's not it. Ginny has always liked boys. On all the occasions that I have spent with her at the Burrow, she has always talked about them._

I hear a small voice inside of my head saying,_ "Why does the possibility of Ginny being a lesbian frighten you so much?"_

_What are you talking about? The possibility of her being... a... lesbian doesn't frighten me._

"_Right," _The voice in my head says sarcastically_, "So, if that's true, then, why did you take a pause before the word lesbian?" _

"_IT DOESN'T FRIGHTEN ME!"_

The voice in my head keeps quiet for a few seconds before replying,

"_Ok, whatever you say Hermione, but let me remind you of something... Every teen at one point or another goes through a stage in its life in which, she or he, looks at other girls or boys and thinks about them in a sexual way."_

"_I know what you mean... but what does that has to do with me?" _I say impatiently

"_Well, you're frightened that Ginny might be a lesbian."_

"_I believe that we already established that it doesn't scare me weather Ginny is a lesbian or not!"_

"_Yes, you are scared Hermione. Please, stop lying to yourself."_

"_Who do you think you are to tell me something like that? Hmm?"_

"_I'm your internal voice Hermione, the voice of your conscience and I know that you're lying."_

"_Well, you, so-called voice, I don't want to discuss this with you any further."_

"_Ok, whatever you say Hermione... until next time!"_

"_Until next... What! There will be no next times, internal voice or whatever you call yourself!"_

Fortunately for me, the voice in my head leaves me alone and I can enjoy the scenery. After a while of being there, I stand up and go to my next class.

I join Harry and Ron in the Transfiguration hallway. We enter the classroom at the same time and sit in our usual spot.

I spend the whole class thinking about what my internal voice had said but decide to ignore it for the time being.

Once the class is finally over, we leave the classroom and Harry asks me, "What are you going to do later on, Hermione?"

"Oh, I'm not sure Harry, why?"

"Well," says Harry, "Why don't you come to Hogsmeade with us... and well... why don't you ask Ginny to join us?"

A few seconds after Harry has finished saying that, Ron adds, "We are going to see Fred and George's new shop... and we thought..."

"We?" I ask both of them arching my brow in the process.

"I thought," says Harry while scratching his head, "that it might be a good excuse for you and Ginny to make up."

I look at both of them for a few seconds, thinking about it and say, "Yes, sure. I don't see why not; I'll go and try to convince Ginny to come with us. When are we leaving?"

"We would be meeting in front of the castle at four," says Harry with a grin on his handsome face.

"Ok, I'll see you guys there. Wish me luck with convincing Ginny."

"Good Luck, Hermione" Harry and Ron say in unison.

After saying good bye to the boys, I go in search of Ginny Weasley, hoping with all my being that she will come with us.... The guys are right, this fight had gone on too long.


	11. Peace Offering

_Note: _Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes poster copied from Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince, page # 116

_Chapter 11_

_Peace Offering_

In my search for Ginny, I head to the Common Room. On my way there, I bump into a blonde girl with gray misty eyes and a blue uniform. I smile as I recognise Luna Lovegood.

"I'm so sorry, Luna," I say as I help her stand up.

"It's quite all right, Hermione," Luna says with that eerie voice so characteristic of her.

"I assume that you are looking for someone?" She says rather bluntly.

"Yes, actually, I wonder if you know where Ginny is."

Luna looks at me rather curiously and says, "Ginny... yes, she is rather upset with you... you know?"

"Really?" I say in a sarcastic tone that Luna doesn't notice.

"Yes, I think I actually heard her saying that you two had an argument."

I am starting to get impatient and uncomfortable about the present conversation so I ask, "Where can I find her, Luna?"

"She is in the library... and if I were you, I'd congratulate her on making the team," she says and then gets into a dreamy state. "Isn't she fabulous?"

I thank her before making my way to the library. I don't hear her last comment as I am already running towards where I've been told Ginny is.

I enter the Library, immediately looking for red hair and spot her at one of the tables in the center of the room.

Fortunately for me, Ginny is alone. I go straight towards her and tap gently on her shoulder.

"Hi Ginny" I say smiling warmly.

Ginny turns to look at me intensely for a few seconds then, she puts on her I don't care mask and says, "Hello, Hermione."

Her sudden change hurts me a little and apparently she notices it,

"To what do I owe the honour of your presence?"Ginny says sarcastically.

"Ginny, there's no need to be sarcastic. I want to apologize for the other day and also congratulate you for making the team. But since you don't care, I probably should leave you alone. Sorry for bothering you," I say trying to keep the hurt from my voice as I turn to leave when Ginny says, "I'm sorry Hermione, please stay."

I notice that she is being sincere but don't want to sit next to her, especially since I see out the corner of my eye, that Ginny's friends are looking at us intently.

"Gin, I can't stay long, I'm sorry. Harry, Ron and I are going to Diagon Alley this afternoon and we... well, I was wondering if you'd like to join us..." I say timidly and add in a rush, "We are going to see Fred and George at the shop," trying to cover up a bit the fact that I am nervous.

For the first time in a long time, Ginny smiles widely "Sure! I'd love to."

"Great!" I hear myself saying extremely happy that she would come with me... Me? Us!

Smiling no end I say to Ginny, "Meet m... us in the entrance hall at four." And before I make more of a fool of myself, I wave good bye and go to my room to prepare to meet with Ginny, Harry, and Ron.

I arrive at our meeting spot at four o'clock. Harry and Ron are already there but Ginny is nowhere in sight. "Hello Hermione," Harry and Ron say in unison.

Harry, who seems a little bit nervous says, "Did you ask Ginny to come with us?"

"Yes, I did, Harry. She should be here any minute now," I say, while looking at my muggle wrist watch. I am feeling a little bit afraid that Ginny has changed her mind and decided to not show up.

"Look," says Ron, "Ginny's coming," pointing towards her.

I turn to look where Ron has pointed and see a beautiful Ginny Weasley. _Wait! Did I say beautiful? What is going on with me! _I reprimand myself.

"_Yes, you did Hermione!" _My conscience voice says.

"_Oh s__hut up! I don't need you right now," _I say upset at my inner voice as I continue gazing at Ginny while giving her a warm smile.

Ginny is dressed in a pair of tight blue jeans, a pink turtle neck top and a pair of boots. Her shiny red hair is hanging loose. When she notices that I am staring at her, she blushes a bit and returns the smile that I am giving her. Then, noticing Harry and Ron, Ginny gives them a brief smile. Reaching where I am, she greets Harry and Ron, to who she glared at, before looking at me. "Hello Hermione" she says and stares at me for a few seconds and then adds, "So are we going or what?"

We all say yes, and head towards Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes, Fred and George's new shop in Diagon Alley.

When comparing Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes window's against the dull posters fronts around them, Fred and George's hits the eye like magic fireworks. The left window is impressive, full of things that spin, pop, flash, bounce and shriek while the right window has a huge purple poster with yellow flashing letters that says,

_Why are you worrying about you- know-who?_

_You should be worrying about_

_U-NoP__oo_

_T__he constipation sensation_

_T__hat's gripping the nation!_

Ron, Harry and Ginny are all laughing at this while I am extremely worried that this could attract unwanted attention from Voldemort's followers and can't help myself from whispering, "I can't believe these two!"

We enter the shop which is full with customers that makes it impossible to reach the shelves. We glance around, looking everywhere. We can see tons of boxes piled to the ceiling that contained Skiving Snackboxes among other things.

There are shelves full of Nosebleed Nugat, bins with trick wands, and all kinds of different products.

One thing catches my eye, the patented Daydream Charms. The inscription says: thirty minute daydream, top quality, extremely realistic. Side effects: possible drooling and vacant expression. '_I could use that, that's for sure', _I think quite smitten with the prospect of the potion.

"That is what I call Magnificent Magic!" I say amazed by George and Fred's talent.

George who stands behind me says, "Indeed, and for that..." "It's yours for free," says a beaming Fred finishing what his brother was saying.

Harry and Ron accompany George behind the back curtain, while Ginny and I examine the rest of the items in the store.

Ginny is near the window and has her eyes set on some pink bottles around which several girls are giggling enthusiastically. I move towards her and touch her arm slightly, "What are you looking at Ginny?"

Ginny jumps slightly when I touch her, "Nothing", she says as she moves around and scans the room once more setting her eyes on a box filled with round puff balls in different colours that are emitting high pitched squeaks.

"What are those?" Ginny asks the air.

"Pygmy Puffs." George who appears from behind her answers.

"Pygmy Puffs? repeats Ginny.

"Pygmy Puffs are miniature Puffskeins. They are easily recognized because they have a very long and thin pink tongue that they use to snake along the ground in search for food. They eat almost anything and they emit a humming noise when they are happy. They also make simple and docile pets that are easily taken care of," I say very matter-of-factly.

"Yes, well said, Hermione," says Fred arching an eyebrow at his brother George before disappearing towards the counter.

"They're so cute!" Ginny says still looking at the little hairy balls in front of her.

"Yes, they are. We can't get enough of them, they seem to be extremely popular among the girls," says George.

"George, I need your help!" Fred calls his brother from the counter.

George says, "Ok you two, I've got to go and help him, be right back," and leaves to aid Fred who is extremely busy with customers.

Once they are out of sight, I go behind Ginny and whisper in her ear, "Would you like one? Please choose the one that you like,"

Ginny shivers and says, "I ahh... I don't know, Hermione..."

I beg her to accept, "Please Ginny... consider it a peace offering..."

"Ok, then... Which colour do you like?" Ginny asks me.

"Hmm, what about that purple one? He seems kind of cute."

"Yes, that's adorable!"Ginny says, following the little creature around the cage.

I go towards Fred, and tell him that I want one of the purple little balls and pay for it. We go towards the cage, and open it. "Which one do you want?"

I point to the one that Ginny likes. He takes it out and gives it to me momentarily before I hand it to Ginny.

As Ginny takes the little purple Pygmy Puff in her hands, it starts humming happily. Ginny snuggles it and the little creature smiles happily.

Seeing the interaction between these two, I ask, "What are you going to call him?"

"Arnold," Ginny answers after a moment and snuggles it again.

"He seems to like it," I remark and smile, glad to see Ginny so happy.

Ginny hugs me tightly and says, "Thanks, Hermione," and gives me a quick kiss on the cheek.

I blush at Ginny's sudden reaction and am about to say something when, Harry and Ron join us at that precise moment, saving me from what it would have been a very awkward moment.


	12. Mysterious Necklace

_Chapter 12_

_Mysterious Necklace_

As we exit the store, we are greeted with balls of snow. We can't believe the sudden change of weather.

We are extremely cold because we are not dressed properly for such climate and on top of that, we are extremely hungry.

"No wonder I'm so hungry," musters Ron shaking his hands to warm them a bit, "It's six at night."

"For once, I'm going to have to agree with you Ron, I'm starving! Why don't we stop at the Three Broomsticks for supper in our way back to the castle? I ask the group who nods in response.

The pub is packed with tons of students that are sheltering from the weather. There are people standing around looking for a place to sit and it is impossible to walk.

Harry and Ron head for the bar to order the drinks and food while Ginny and I remain there trying to catch a place to sit. After a few minutes of looking around, I spot a little table on the corner of the pub. I grab Ginny's hand feeling a wave of electricity run through me. The sensation makes me feel warmth that I never experienced before. I blush involuntarily at the contact and pulling Ginny with me, we head towards the spot that I have discovered.

The table is part booth, part regular and is very small. Ginny slides in the booth side first and I follow her. The table is so tiny that almost every part of our bodies was touching each other. I turn to look at Ginny briefly, finding her very quiet and blushing madly. She is so cute and beautiful with her scarlet cheeks, that she captured all my attention. I forced myself to not look at her, and instead, watch as Harry and Ron arrive with the drinks and the meal.

"I'm glad that you guys found a table," says Harry sitting in one of the chairs in front of us. Ron sits next to him and adds, "Yeah, small table isn't it?". At this comment, Harry kicks Ron under the table. "Ouch! What was that for?"

"Never mind Ron," says Harry shaking his head.

I don't know why or how it has happened but my hand has ended up on top of Ginny's leg making her jump a bit and fluster even more.

Noticing Ginny's sudden reaction Harry asks: "are you ok Ginny?"

Ron also notices Ginny's strange behaviour and says, "Blimey Gin, your face is the same colour as a Gryffindor scarf. Is everything all right?"

Ginny never says a word and simply nods to both boys. I remove my hand from her leg and curse myself for having done such a thing. _Damn it Hermione! What on earth is wrong with you? Why did you have to place your damn hand on Ginny's leg for?_

_The 'wise' voice in my head honoured me with its presence by answering my questions, "There's nothing wrong with what you did, Hermione" _

"_Oh, Really?" _I begin to say but I am interrupted by the voice who continues what it was saying as if I hadn't said a thing,_ "It's pretty obvious for me why you placed your hand on Ginny's lap, and that's because you're infatuated with her."_

"_WHAT?"_I say astonished for what my inner voice has said,_ "You must be crazy!, I'm certainly not infatuated with Ginny!"_

"_Yes, you are, Hermione," the _voice patiently says and adds,_ "Or, are you going to deny now that you had dreams about Ginny last night and that you have had them for a long time?"_

"_I- I... ah... I certainly do not know what you're talking about!," _I say, denying such accusation.

"_I would never think or dream about Ginny in a sexual way," _I hear myself saying to the voice inside my head.

"_Right!" _the voice sarcastically replies.

"_I've never thought about that! I have always thought about boys.. Well, a specific boy actually... Ron," _I hear myself saying

"_Oh Really? So it's Ron that you dream of, yearn for, beg for in your dreams is it?" _The voice keeps up with the sarcasm.

"_Um, well - no - maybe... Oh, I don't know!" _

"_May I remind you, Hermione, that your infatuation is with another Weasley?"_

I am now extremely annoyed and angry with the voice, so I say,_ "Ok, shut up! I can't think properly with your rambling nonsense!" _

Thanks Merlin a couple of minutes later, after saying,_ "If you say so, Hermione," _the voice leaves me in a blissful silence.

"Earth to Hermione," Harry says pulling me out of my reverie.

I blush a bit, embarrassed from spacing out like that and say, "Oh, sorry guys."

"What were you thinking, Hermione?" Ron asks.

"I was just thinking about the bunch of homework that I have left to do," I lied.

Ginny and the boys seem to believe my lie and resume their conversation.

After having finished our food and drinks, we walk out of the Pub to the awful weather and head towards the castle.

On our way there, we see two girls fighting. As we get nearer to them, we see that the two girls are Katie Bell and her friend Annie Thomson. The girls are having an argument about a certain package that Katie is holding in her hands. The argument turns more violent. Annie tries to take the package from Katie's hands but misses it. She tries over and over, again and again while Katie dodges every attempt. The package falls to the ground and a small crack appears in it that emits a green neon light.

As the package is falling to the ground in a seemingly slow motion, Katie rises into the air, stretching out her arms to try to catch it...

Katie screams the moment she touches the package. She doesn't stop moving from the pain. A few second later, her eyes are empty giving her a frightening appearance.

Harry runs to the castle looking for help. He comes back a few minutes later with Hagrid.

When Hagrid sees Katie and notices her vacant expression, he lifts her in his huge arms and takes her inside the castle.

The package that Katie has touched lay on the ground, nobody wanting to move it. Hagrid returns with Professor McGonagall who asks Annie what has happened. As Annie explains her what has occurred, Professor McGonagall's grey eyes grow wide in horror. She looks at the package and lifts it with her wand. She flicks her wand a few times and the content of the package is exposed revealing a necklace with green bead that appear to be malachite.

Harry recognises the necklace at once as the same one that he had seen displayed four years ago at Borgin and Burkes. He immediately accuses Malfoy as the one responsible for what has happened to Katie and curses himself for not stopping her when he saw the green light coming from the package.

As Harry approaches Professor McGonagall, he sees that she has sent Annie to Madam Pomfrey to ask for something for the shock.

Realising that Harry is standing next to her, she asks, "Yes, Potter?"

Professor, I think that Draco Malfoy gave Katie the necklace."

Minerva McGonagall turns to look at Ron, Ginny and me. Ron rubs his nose in embarrassment, Ginny turns to look the other way not wanting to meet her eyes, and I shuffled my feet while looking intently at the floor.

"This is an extremely serious accusation Potter, I hope that you have proof for what you're saying," she glances at Harry gravely.

"No, but..."

"No buts, Potter. Come see me when you have proof," she says exasperatedly and walks past him, "I have to go and check on Katie Bell to the Hospital Wing. Good day!"

Harry is furious and frustrated with the situation. We spend the whole day making conjectures as to what has happened and looking for an answer to the entire riddle. And before we notice it is time to go to bed.

The next morning, we go to the Great Hall for breakfast as usual and sit down in our usual spot.

Professor Dumbledore approached the stand to give a speech.

"Dears Students,

Most of you have heard the terrible news of what happened to your fellow classmate, Katie Bell by now.

We are not sure due to the present situation if she will make it, Katie will be under observation at Saint Mungo's until further notice.

I ask you to pray for her but also to be prepared for the worst."


	13. Broken Heart

_Chapter 13_

_Broken Heart_

That fateful day will remain within the Hogwarts students' minds and souls for the rest of their lives. No one could imagine that more terrible dangers would come so soon.

The following morning, Katie Bell was taken to St. Mungo's Hospital while the rest of Hogwarts students continued with their lives.

Much to Hermione, Ron and Ginny's dismay, Harry kept insisting that Malfoy was the one responsible for Katie's injury. They tried with all their might to ignore Harry, hoping that eventually he would give up.

That evening, Dumbledore called Harry for his usual lesson in his office...

Harry knocked on the Headmaster's door, waiting for permission to enter the room. Once he heard it, he opened the door and walked towards the desk behind in which Dumbledore was sitting.

Following the Headmaster's invitation to sit down, Harry sat in the chair in front of him. He couldn't help but notice that the Headmaster looked different. Dumbledore appeared worn out, like he hadn't slept for days; his right hand was as black as charcoal and burnt. Harry couldn't tear his eyes away from Dumbledore's hand, wondering what could possibly have happened to him. He wanted to ask the Headmaster but didn't dare.

None of this was missed by Dumbledore. He never said a thing, allowing Harry to examine him, to notice every aspect, so he could comprehend what he wanted to share with him; information of such importance not only for him but for the future of the Wizarding World.

Dumbledore smiled once again and flicked his wand with a certain pattern, making the Pensive float, moving gently towards the desk and finally settling in front of him and Harry.

"I believe that you have been busy in my absence Harry,"Dumbledore said_, "_If I'm not mistaken, you, as well as Hermione, Ron and Ginny witnessed Katie's accident. Am I correct?"

"Yes, sir. How is she?"

"I'm afraid that she's not too well Harry. Katie is very fortunate for having barely touched the necklace with minimum amount of skin."

"But sir, how could she have touched it. She was wearing gloves."

"Aha, but you see, there was a tiny hole in her glove and that was enough for the curse to spread. Had she not had the gloves on, she would have died. Thanks to Professor Snape the killing curse didn't spread as fast as it would have."

"Professor, couldn't Madam Pomfrey have done something to cure Katie instead of Professor Snape?" asked Harry with a hint of curiosity_._

"Professor Snape knows the Dark Arts much more than Madam Pomfrey Harry." Dumbledore explained to Harry patiently.

"Sir, do you believe that Katie will make it?"

"The St. Mungo's staff is keeping me informed of her condition... so I dare say that she will recover in due time."

"Now Harry, I know that you are worried about Katie but we have more important matters to attend to, don't you think?" Dumbledore said touching his fingertips while looking at Harry with great interest.

"Where have you been this weekend sir?"

"I'll tell you eventually Harry, but first things first. Do you remember where we left the story in our last meeting?"

Harry looked at Dumbledore and nodded in confirmation...

In their last meeting, Harry learned that Tom Riddle, who was Voldermort's father, had abandoned his witch wife, Merope, to return to his family home in Little Hangleton. Merope who was pregnant at the time was left alone to her own means in London.

"Very well then,"Dumbledore said taking out from his robes a crystal bottle with something silvery inside. He uncorked it and emptied the silvery substance into the Pensive.

Harry looked at Dumbledore and said,"Where are we going, sir?"

"We, Harry, are going to pay a visit to Caractacus Burke. This memory in particular belongs to him," Dumbledore said looking at Harry over his glasses.

The Headmaster then, offered his arm to Harry. Harry took it and both jumped into the swirling silvery substance.

***

Harry left Dumbledore's office and went to the Gryffindor Common Room. He passed through the Fat Lady's portrait to find the common room empty. Sighing once, Harry went straight to the boys' dormitories. He passed the beds of his fellow roommates, and went to his own bed and sat down. He looked at Ron, hoping to find him awake but no luck. Harry gazed through his window, staring into the cold night sky. The stars twinkled and the owls flew about, hunting for mice in the yard. His restless mind working over and over again what it had seen at Dumbledore's office, what he had learned.

Not much time passed since sleep won the battle and Harry was set in a restless dream...

The first rays of sunshine appeared on Harry's window indicating the new day and the ending of a terrible night filled with dreams of Voldemort. Harry woke up and rubbed his eyes to wake up faster . He took his glasses from the nightstand beside him and put them on. Then, he slid out of bed and stood up. He looked around finding everybody still asleep and decided to go and take a shower in hopes of helping him calm his mind and wash the cold sweat that last night's dreams had evoked.

After taking his shower, he went to the Great Hall to have breakfast. He sat in his usual spot next to Hermione and from where he had a great view of the other tables. Ron muttered what it sounded like "Hi," It was barely perceptible as Ron has his mouth filled with food.

Hermione, noticing Harry, said a quick "Hello Harry," and went to reprimand Ron for speaking with his mouth full. "Honestly Ronald! Do you have to always talk with your mouth full of food?"

"Mhhmmg," Ron tried answering Hermione but he didn't make any sense.

"Never mind Ron," Hermione said, while giving Ron a disgusted look. She then turned to look at Harry and said, "How was your lesson with Dumbledore?"

Harry looked around, making sure that everybody was busy and wouldn't pay attention to what he was going to tell his two best friends. He leaned towards them and whispered, "Last night, Dumbledore showed me a memory that belongs to a guy named Caractacus Burke..."

"Caractacus Burke?"Ron who now had cleared his throat said a little louder than he intended to.

"Shhhh!" Harry and Hermione said in unison, turning to look around to see if anyone had heard him.

"Sooorry" Ron said, blushing.

Harry then, told them that Caractacus Burke had bought Lord's Voldermot's locket from Merope cheaply because at the time, she was in great need of money to live on; She apparently stopped using magic at all after the person she loved the most abandoned her.

***

Mean while, when Harry, Hermione and Ron were talking and discussing what Harry had told them, a very tired Ginny Weasley was sitting in the far end corner of the Gryffindor table not paying attention to her surroundings. Ginny's mind was somewhere else, to be precise, on yesterday's conversation with Alicia at the lake.

It was a typical October noon; the sun was fighting with the clouds to warm the day. The wind was chilly and was blowing gently.

The girls were sitting on opposite sides of a bench in front of the lake and they were looking towards the horizon. It was a strange sight for anyone who could see them and knew them. They looked as if they were strangers and had never crossed words before.

Both girls had their minds busy with thoughts. None of them noticed the other for a while. They kept looking to the distance, as far as their eyes could reach.

Finally after a while, Alicia moved closer to Ginny, closing the distance between them. She gently touched Ginny's face caressing her cheek, trying not to startle her and whispered softly, "Ginny, love."

Ginny smiled a bit, recognizing her lover's voice and turning to look at her said, "Yes?"

"I have been thinking lately about us..."Alicia paused and continued, "I know that I agreed to be just friends with benefits but..."

"But?"Ginny asked afraid of what was coming next.

"Well, I would like to be more than that to you, Ginny. I would like to be your girlfriend."Alicia said scanning Ginny's face for a reaction to what she had said.

Ginny had heard what she was afraid she would hear...

When Ginny heard what Alicia had said, she couldn't help but frown and let a chain of thought provoked by fear enter her head. She liked Alicia; she was her friend and her lover. They didn't have much in common but that had never been a problem for her before, until now that Alicia wanted more from her. Alicia had always been to Ginny a friend with whom to spend time, a friend to go out with on hot or cold days. She loved her, she really did, but as a friend and a lover. Crossing that barrier was something that Ginny could not do. Ginny's heart had always belonged to someone else and no matter that she tried to forget the one she loved, she always ended up thinking and longing for Hermione Granger, her true and only love and the only woman who she dreamed off and wanted to spend the rest of her life with.

Ginny sighed and said "Alicia, You know I care about you. You've taught me so much, especially about being true to myself, not to mention how to have a really good time. But beyond that, well, that's not something I can give you. I'm so sorry, but my heart... it... well, it belongs to someone else."

Alicia's heart broke into a million tiny pieces when she heard Ginny's admission and couldn't help but sob in agony. She loved Ginny Weasley with all her heart. Alicia met Ginny for the first time a year before; thanks to Luna Lovegood, who introduced them after a Quiddicth match. Alicia had gone out with Luna, her girlfriend Charlotte and Ginny ever since, and that had been whenadmiration and fondness, turned into love.

Now, that her heart was broken by her first love, Alicia could not bear to stand another minute beside Ginny. She felt completely alone and vulnerable, her chest was full of pain and she felt as if a knife had been pushed through her heart, piercing it until it crossed to the other side. She couldn't breathe.

With the remaining strength that she had, she got up and ran through the castle grounds to her room, leaving a very sad Ginny Weasley behind.


	14. Renewed Friendship

_Chapter 14_

_Renewed Friendship_

A very sad Ginny Weasley was sitting on a bench in front of the lake, looking Alicia Spinnet, former lover and friend, running away from her. Why? Because a few minutes before, Ginny had told Alicia that she didn't love her the way she wanted to. Ginny felt bad for hurting her and also felt guilty for misleading her into thinking that something more was possible between them.

Ginny could not move from her spot, she started analyzing everything, from when she noticed that she liked girls and what she liked about them, to when Luna helped her to confirm and overcome her inner fears, to when she met Charlotte and Alicia for the first time. She thought of how they got close to each other even though they didn't share the same interests and about when they become lovers. She felt terrible, really bad and wanted to ease Alicia's pain but knew well that that wasn't possible. She, alone, was responsible for breaking Alicia's heart.

Ginny didn't notice that one person was standing not far from her, and had seen everything that happened between them. This person was Harry Potter. He was coming late from the Quidditch pitch towards the castle when he saw Ginny Weasley with another girl who was caressing her face gently and calling her love. This made Harry stop dead in his tracks, unable to move from his spot. He watched the interaction between the two girls and couldn't help but to feel sorry for the girl that was with Ginny. He felt identified with the poor girl, as he once had been in the same position as her... well, not exactly the same, but his heart had been broken because Ginny never saw him in other way than a friend.

Harry, also felt sorry for Ginny, so he went towards her and sat down beside her. Ginny didn't notice him, until she heard a male voice saying, "Ginny."

Ginny looked towards the voice to find Harry standing next to her "Ha...Harry? How long have you been here?"

"Long enough to see and hear everything, are you ok Ginny?" Harry said with concern.

"Yes...No." Ginny finally admitted and added, "Harry, I'm sorry for hurting you long ago. I..."

"It's ok, Ginny. I'm not mad about it. In fact, I want to thank you for telling me how you felt. Thanks to that, I met someone wonderful and I'm happy."

"Really? And who is it?" asked a surprised Ginny who didn't believe that she was having this conversation with Harry. She was still afraid that Harry might be disgusted at her once he asked "the question"

Harry stood quiet for a few seconds thinking and then said, "Yes Ginny, and her name is Marie Lewis," he said smiling warmly. He looked genuinelyhappy.

Ginny said sincerely, "I'm glad to hear that Harry. Really," and added, "Where did you meet her?"

"Believe it or not, Cho introduced us. She is a friend of hers. She is a Hufflepuff girl actually."

"Wow! Ok, well... but what happened with your fancy towards Cho?" Ginny asked, curious about this as it was common knowledge that Harry had a thing for her. She also knew by experience that Cho swung to both teams."

Harry laughed wholeheartedly and said, "She was my first crush, Ginny and sometimes, first crushes never become true, you know?"

"Yeah I know," Ginny mumbled to herself.

The sound of their conversation was replaced with silence on both parts. Harry observed Ginny quietly, she looked more grown up somehow, she appeared to be more beautiful than before. Her face was more defined as well as her body; the face of the child was now replaced with that of an adult. Her blue eyes radiated knowledge, sadness and confusion. Harry could tell without a doubt that this Ginny Weasley was not a kid anymore. She probably was more mature than the rest of them somehow.

Breaking the silence, Harry asked shyly and as tactful as he could, "So, are you gay?"

"Yes, I am." Ginny responded bravely.

Harry looked at Ginny and said jokingly, "Really?" and then added more seriously, "Well, I can't say that it doesn't surprise me to be honest but I'm ok with it, Ginny..."

At this moment, Ginny couldn't suppress her happiness and hugged Harry tightly.

Hugging her back Harry said, "Although I have to admit, Ginny, that I'm a little bit hurt that you didn't tell me about it. I would have supported you like I'm doing it now."

"I'm sorry Harry. I was so afraid that I would disgust you once you knew... and I was so afraid that you would reject me... I didn't want to lose your friendship."

"It's ok, Ginny. I understand," Harry said reassuringly.

Harry pulled apart from Ginny and said matter of factly, "So... I assume that you and Alicia... were a couple?"

"We were not precisely a couple... We were more like friends with benefits but she wanted more and I didn't."

"Oh... I see. So, there's someone else?" Harry asked with curiosity.

"Well, there is someone, but she doesn't swing my way."

"Hmm, Do I know her?"

"Yes you do, Harry, but don't ask me who is, please," Ginny said pleadingly.

"If you don't want me to ask who... then I'm going to guess..." Harry said playfully, "Is it... Luna?"

"Nice try Harry... but no."

"No? Oh well, let's see... Hmm... Hang on, I know who it is... Lavander Brown!"

"NO! How can you think that? She is a royal bitch and I mean it, in all senses," Ginny said angrily remembering what Lavander Brown and her brother Ronald Weasley had done to Hermione.

"I'm kidding Ginny!" Harry said between laughs. Harry's mind suddenly started tying knots here and there, analysing Ginny's strange behaviour. She had avoided Ron, Hermione and him for the past year, and he also remembered her strange reaction when she confronted her brother when he cheated on Hermione. All of that made Harry become aware of whom Ginny fancied.

"It's Hermione, isn't it?" Harry said in a serious tone while looking at her.

Ginny didn't respond nor looked at him; she simply nodded her head to let him know that this time, he had hit the jackpot.

Harry felt the tension rising, so he decided to lighten up the mood by saying, "Well, you don't have bad taste!" He lightly punched Ginny's arm while laughing.

After a few minutes of shared laughter, Ginny said, "Harry, please don't tell Ron or Hermione about it. I'm not ready to tell them just yet."

Harry nodded in understanding and said, "Sure Gin, don't worry about it."

"It's getting late, we should get back to the castle, Ginny" Harry said getting up and offering his hand to Ginny, who took it. They both returned to the castle and went towards the Gryffindor common room.

They passed the Fat Lady's portrait hand in hand, playing like little kids. They found the common room almost empty except for Hermione and Ron who were playing a match of Wizard chess.

Hermione turned to look at the Portrait entrance spotting Ginny and Harry. They were laughing and telling jokes to each other. The looks that they both shared, told Hermione that they had a special connection. She missed Ginny and wanted her to be with her like she was being with Harry and couldn't suppress a wave of jealousy when she saw them enjoying themselves.

In that precise instant Ron appeared to have notice Ginny and Harry exchange and said, "Harry… Gin... Where have you been? And why are you linking arms?"

Harry and Ginny who had been oblivious to their surroundings turned to look at Ron realising where they were. "What?" a smiling Harry managed to say.

"You..."Ron who had his mouth agape said, pointing to Harry and then to Ginny, "That..." to finally point their linked arms.

"Oh that..." said Harry "Well it's nothing Ron, We are in good terms, that's all." Harry turned to look at Ginny winking.

"I wonder if Ginny finally accepted Harry's as her boyfriend..." Hermione wondered but disregarded the idea almost immediately when she remembered "No, that can't be... Harry is dating Marie... He told me so... Yes, I'm being silly." She said arching one of her eye brows. Hmm I wonder ... "There must have happened something for Ginny to be this friendlier with Harry, especially since she had been avoiding us for so long. I'll have to ask him tomorrow what is going on."

After this tense moment, he boys and the girls went to their rooms to sleep.

***

The next morning, Hermione, Ron and Harry went to their Herbology class. Between fighting with the plant that they had in front of them to try and remove the pods, Harry finished his tale about what Dumbledore had showed him in the private lessons.

"I think that it's great Harry that Dumbledore is showing you all that" Hermione said, "He obviously wants you to know Voldermort's weaknesses and that's why he is showing you all that."

"Guess you're right Hermione, Dumbledore said that this information would helped me to survive."

"See?" Hermione said while inserting her hand inside the plant to try and grab the pod which was proving difficult as the pod was slippery.

Harry looked at Hermione who by now had her goggles splashed with green plant juices. Ron and Harry looked disgusted at the sight and tried not to laugh. It was an extraordinary circumstance to see Hermione dirty.

"What?"Hermione finally obtaining the pod asked confused by seeing his two best friends trying hard not to laugh.

"Nothing," muttered Ron giggling and then, added more serious "It's just well.. ahhh You're face..."

"What about my face?"Hermione looked at Ron still not understanding them.

"It's well, all slimy green..." Ron said cautiously.

"What?" Hermione said and took out of her school bag a little mirror. She looked in it, seeing herself reflected in it. She still had the goggles on and her face was in fact covered by a slimy green substance that made her look quite funny. "No wonder you two both are laughing, I look like an alien" she said laughing.

Harry and Hermione shared a laugh while Ron asked "What is an Alian?

"Never mind Ron," Harry said between laughs.

Ron simply lifted up his shoulders not understanding them and changed the subject.

"I heard a rumour that in the last Slug Party, Gwenog Jones, Captain of the Holy Head Harpies was present, is that true?"Ron asked Hermione with growing interest.

"Yes, that's true Ron. She is a little full of herself if you ask me..."Hermione answered Ron while taking another pod and putting in the plate in front of her.

"Enough chit-chat over there!"Professor Sprout yelled from across the room. "You're far behind with your pods"

"Sorry, Professor," replied Harry to the Herbology Professor who resumed her verification of the rest of the group's work.

"Anyway," Hermione continued with what she was saying as if the Herbology teacher had never interrupted her, "Harry, Professor Slughorn asked me to check your schedule and make sure that you'll be attending the Christmas Party."

Harry was not pleased at all to have to attend to the so called Party but knew well, that with Hermione supervising his free time, escaping from it was far from being possible.

"And this is another part for Slughorn's favourites is it?"asked a jealous Ron, "Why can't I come?"

"Just for the Slug Club, yes, I am afraid," said Hermione.

Ron's face started to get red and was about to retort when Hermione said, "We can bring guests, so if you want to come, that's fine with Harry and I. Right Harry?"

Harry massaged his scalp for a bit while saying "Ah... yeah, I guess so."

Ron looked quite happy to have been invited to the party and spent the rest of the day telling everyone who would hear that he was going to the party although in front of Harry and Hermione he seemed not to care much about it.


	15. Christmas Party

_Chapter 15_

_Christmas Party_

Ginny had been sad since her break up with Alicia and hadn't wanted to do anything besides stay in her room for hours. The time that she used to spend with her friends, had been replaced by long hours of studying. All of her friends, including Luna, were afraid for her well being. The day before the Christmas Party, Luna went to Harry for help, and told him how much she had been avoiding them, all because of Alicia. She didn't want to talk with anyone about it or even hear from her. Harry decided that what was best for Ginny was to hang around with someone to forget about how she was feeling, so he made his mind up to ask Ginny to be his partner for the party.

Harry talked to his girlfriend Marie and told her what was going on with the young Weasley and how worried for her everyone was. Marie, was not happy with letting Harry go with another girl, but accepted it as she knew for school rumours that Ginny didn't like boys and therefore her Harry was safe.

Later on that day, Harry headed to the Quidditch Pitch. He was the Captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch team, and so it was his responsibility to make sure that Katie's place at the team would be filled. Therefore, he called for try outs in hopes that he'd find the remaining piece of the puzzle.

After several tests and several students that applied for the position, only a few remained. From those indeed left, Harry would have to make a decision for the team's future and it was up to him was whether they would succeed and become the Hogwarts' champion or the joke of the school. Coming to a decision, he chose Dean Thomas and hoped for the best.

After the tryouts, Harry and Ron joined Hermione for lunch in the Great Hall. After a quick meal, the boys started discussing Quidditch. Ron told Harry that he was not good enough for the team that he should find someone better, and Harry tried his best to cheer him up but was unsuccessful.

Hermione didn't feel like hearing Ron moaning over and over again how terrible his game was, so she excused herself from the table to go to the Library. Hermione took a shortcut near the Bearded Wizard statue and passed the tapestry that was covering the passage and walked to the other side to find Ginny Weasley and Cho Chang glued together and kissing fiercely.

It was as if suddenly a volcano had erupted in Hermione's stomach, clawing at her insides: Hot blood flowing to her brain. Everything else was gone, her rational mind was numb and all she wanted to do was jinx Cho and turn her into a piece of parchment to be able to rip it in a million tiny pieces. She struggled with this urge, with this sudden madness that was ripping her insides when she heard Neville's voice as though from a great distance.

Looking at Ginny and Cho kissing, Neville cleared his throat to acknowledge his presence. They both looked towards where the noise had come to see Neville standing in front of them and who was blushing in embarrassment.

"What is it, Neville?" asked Ginny who was breathless from snogging Cho.

"Oh, ahh... I'm sorry to interrupt but oh..."Neville nervously said, "Professor Slughorn is looking for you. He's in the Dungeons waiting."

"Okay, Neville. Thanks" said Ginny who turned to look at Cho who was blushing madly.

They never saw a shocked Hermione standing several feet away from them. When Hermione saw Neville, her brain came out of her stupor, her once rigid limbs became alive letting her move. She continued her journey towards the Library hoping that reading would be able to appease her mind and soul.

Hermione got into bed early and lied down in her bed. Taking her wand from the nightstand beside her, she made a spell to enchant her ceiling so that she could see the night sky. She was absorbed in her thoughts, imagining the same corridor in which she had seen Ginny but in her mind, she was the one kissing her. She couldn't help but to wish that she could be the one in Ginny's life but then again, her rational mind came into play, trying to convince her that she wasn't supposed to feel this way about Ginny. She by now knew that the rumours in the school were true. Yes, Ginny liked girls, but she didn't like her, she couldn't. After all, if Ginny felt something for her, she would have done something about it. She convinced herself once more, that all she was feeling towards Ginny was because she felt over-protective. After all they had known each other for a long time and feeling that way was natural. She was Ron's sister and she could not risk her friendship with him for Ginny. What would Ginny's family think if they knew that she, Hermione Jean Granger had been developing feelings for their younger daughter instead of their son? And what would Hermione's own parents would think if they found out about it?

Hermione awoke the following day, tired and worn out as all the dreams that she had the previous night had been filled with people surrounding her and yelling at her that she was disgusting. Standing up from the bed and taking a set of new clothes, she went to the bathroom and took a hot shower that helped her sore muscles to loosen up a bit. After the shower, she went back towards her bedroom and looked at herself in the mirror; she combed her hair as best she could while remembering that today, it was the Christmas party and that she was going with Ron. In that precise moment, there was a knock on the door and Hermione went to open it to find Ron standing outside. He looked ashamed and sad when he said, "Hermione, I wanted you to know, that I ah... I'm not going to be able to go to the party tonight."

"Why?" was all that Hermione said, she was not in the mood for this to happen.

"Uhmm, Snape gave me detention just now. I'm supposed to come to his office at eight sharp."

"Great, Ronald! What in the world did you do for Snape to give you detention, eh?" asked a very annoyed and angry Hermione.

"I ahh... I... Well, Harry and I were about to jinx Malfoy who attacked us, when Snape showed up and well, that's when he gave me the detention."

"Great! And what about Harry? I bet he got detention too now is it?" Hermione's voice grew a louder this time.

"Ah... no... he... he got out of the hook... Slughorn happened to be around and convinced Snape to let him off it."

"Great! Just great!" She mumbled and fumed, passing Ron to finally disappear down the stairs.

***

Eight o'clock arrived faster than Harry or Hermione expected. When Hermione arrived in the entrance hall, she found a long line of girls lurking in there, hoping to find a single partner that would invite them into the party. She looked around the room hoping to catch someone like Harry to go to the party. She spotted him in the company of Ginny Weasley who was wearing a simple black dress that fell just above her knees; her hair was pulled back into a ponytail and was wearing small heels.

Hermione went towards them and they exchanged greetings. They headed towards the marble staircase away from all the noises and muttering of the girls behind them. They walked in silence until they arrived at Slughorn's office that appeared to be larger than it originally was. The ceiling and walls had been draped with emerald, crimson and gold hangings to give the appearance that they were inside a royal chamber. The music was medieval and fitted the atmosphere perfectly."

Harry, Ginny, and Hermione walked towards the center of the room where Slughorn was chatting with a lumpy man with a funny moustache. "Harry, m'boy!" boomed Slughorn the moment he saw them. "Come in, come in, so many people I'd like you to meet!"

Hermione and Ginny were left alone by Harry and Slughorn so they went to the table with the drinks and helped themselves to some butterbeers. After a few minutes in which the potion master introduced Harry to everyone, he excused himself and went to join the girls. Ginny spotted Luna among the guests and went towards her, leaving Hermione and Harry behind.

Hermione couldn't help to watch Ginny walking towards Luna and see how friendly they were. The volcano inside of her started to emerge again, so she did the best she thought she could that was drink more butterbeers, hoping that it would help her to advert her eyes from the glorious Ginny Weasley, who looked astonishingly beautiful with that black dress that fitted her body so well. She didn't know if it was because of the alcohol that she was drinking but the more she looked at her, the more she wanted to be with her, and kiss her, and caress her, and oh so many things.

Harry, who had been with her the whole time, noticed how Hermione started looking at Ginny. He tried to talk to his friend to find out more but Hermione was simply far away, not paying attention to anything that he was saying, so he engaged in conversation with a passing girl. He got so engaged with the conversation, that he didn't notice Hermione walking away towards Ginny who was now alone in one secluded corner of the room.

"It looks like every time I see you, you're with someone different. What is going on Ginny?" asked a jealous Hermione.

"Nothing."Ginny replied not really knowing what she meant.

"Nothing?" "So, how come you are with other girls and everybody but me?" asked Hermione while raising an eye brow.

"I don't have any idea of what you mean by that," responded a very confused Ginny.

Hermione, by now exasperated at Ginny's reluctance to talk, asked, "You really don't have a clue?"

"Yeah... I don't..." answered Ginny defensively.

Hermione's jealousy started to emerge from her insides making her ask Ginny, "Oh, I see... well, then let me ask you something else, what do those other girls have that I don't?"

"Huh? Hermione... I really don't understand where this is coming from. It's obvious that you're drunk and you don't have idea of what you're saying..."

"Really?" said an ironic and slightly mad Hermione, who added after a pause while arching an eye-brow again, "Then, I think I better show you what I mean..."

"This..." Hermione said and pushed Ginny against the nearest wall taking Ginny by surprise.

"Is..." Hermione got closer to Ginny closing the space between their bodies...

"What..." Hermione got closer to Ginny's face.

"I..." Hermione face was no more than an inch from Ginny. They both could feel their warm breaths.

"Mean..."Hermione then, looked at Ginny for a brief second and then, kissed her fully and wantonly on the lips, unable to stop.


	16. A sick friend

_Chapter 16_

_A sick friend._

Ginny's brain stopped reacting the moment that she felt Hermione's body pressed against hers. Her heart started to beat uncontrollably the moment the older girl started to get closer to her face, expectantly for the kiss that knew was coming and longed for.

The instant that Hermione's lips touched hers, everything else seemed to disappear from Ginny's mind. It didn't matter whether they were at a party or if someone would see them, this moment was pure bliss, after so many months of wanting her, of dreaming that something like this would happen, now, after so many months of waiting, it was real. The kiss seemed to last for an eternity even though it lasted only a few minutes before fear made her brain come alive, making her realise that Hermione wasn't herself, that she was drunk, and therefore she didn't knew what she was saying or doing.

"Hermione..." Ginny said softly while pulling away from the warm body that had been pressed against her.

Hermione's beautiful brown eyes half opened, telling Ginny that she was drunk. The drunken Hermione looked at Ginny in confusion, wondering why she had pulled away from her. The sudden lack of heat that Ginny's body had provided minutes before was not amiss by Hermione's body. She lean back to Ginny's comforting arms and kissed her wantonly on the lips, taking Ginny by surprise once more. Ginny succumbed to the kiss momentarily before pulling apart from the brown haired girl.

"How many butterbeers did you have?" asked Ginny concerned while scrutinizing Hermione with her eyes.

Hermione tried to think in vain and mustered, "I…" but was unable to come up with an answer.

Ginny felt bad for Hermione because she had never seen her like this before. Ginny grabbed Hermione's arm as she said, "It's okay, Hermione. I'm taking you to your room so that you can sleep off the effects of the alcohol. I promise that you'll thank me in the morning."

The girls were able to sneak out from the party without anyone noticing their absence. On their way to Hermione's room, they made it to the clear stairs landing in which Hermione almost fell had it not been for Ginny who caught her in time.

They started to walk again, staggering from time to time, until they reached the top of the empty seventh floor. Hermione leaned heavily on Ginny's shoulder and said merrily, "I love you Ginny. Did you know that? I really, really, really do."

Yeah, I know Hermione," Ginny half-laughing, half-blushing said, as her friend announced her feelings to the Hogwarts empty halls. The typically sleeping paintings were wide awake, obviously snooping for gossip to share with the rest of the paintings. Other paintings opened their eyes wide, astonished at what they had heard.

"No, really Ginny. I think I love you. I'm pretty sure," Hermione said in a sing-song voice. She stopped in her tracks and looked directly into Ginny's eyes to make her point clear even though she was drunk.

Ginny lost herself in the intensity in Hermione's half-lifted eyes. They seem to radiate warm, love and happiness.

They both lost themselves in each other's gaze, neither of them able to talk. Everything that surrounded them was gone and all that mattered for them was this moment. Hermione leaned in again capturing Ginny's lips with her own in a perfect kiss. Hermione's hands started to caress Ginny's back, touching lightly. Her hands started to travel down, catching Ginny by surprise. Ginny buckled her knees to stop the moment, knowing full well that it was the butterbeer and not Hermione who was doing this. As much as she wanted this to happened, she knew that taking advantage of the situation was not right.

"Hermione," Ginny said, her voice a little bit hoarse from the kiss. She cleared her voice and added, "Come on. Let's just get to your room." She finished the sentence whispering while breathing Hermione's scented hair: a mixture of parchment, sweet vanilla, fruits, almonds and wood. The smell of butterbeer lingered mixing all the smells together, creating and intoxicating aroma that made it hard for Ginny to control herself.

Hermione by now was almost asleep, the drink taking effect. The sleep made her feet weak and she swayed. The movement awakened her momentarily.

"My room, Yes, my room," Hermione said, nearly falling asleep on Ginny's shoulder. "I really should get some sleep. Yes, yes."

Ginny hoisted Hermione's body further up, half pulling, half dragging the sleeping Hermione towards the Prefect corridor and towards the Portrait.

Ginny's muscles were very tired by the time that she reached the Prefect portrait and she was struggling with the weight of the sleeping Hermione. She leaned on the wall a bit and tenderly caressed Hermione's cheek to wake her up. "Hermione, we're in front of your room…"

"Oh…"was all Hermione was able to say.

"Hermione, what's the password?" asked Ginny calmly.

Hermione said the word "Fidelity" barely audibly and the portrait swung open, letting them go through.

Hermione fall asleep again and Ginny took her in her arms and carried her into the room. She placed her in an armchair near the window while she removed the covers from the bed. Then, she went to Hermione and took her into the bed and removed her shoes, slipping her inside and covering her with the blankets.

She stood there, hypnotized by the sleeping princess in front of her, marvelling at her beauty. For a brief moment, Ginny pictured herself, sleeping next to her and holding her through the night on to the next morning. She sighed once and shook her head to get rid of the thought. Then, she kissed Hermione's forehead chastely and lovingly before going to the arm chair that was going to be her bed for the night.

She sat down and adjusted her body to the tiny space looking for a comfortable position to sleep. In the meantime, questions wandered freely in Ginny's mind as to why Hermione did what she did and she smiled at the image of Hermione's lips and body pressed against hers.

And with that image in her mind, she fell asleep.

***

The next morning, Hermione woke up to a killer headache. She laid her left hand on her forehead, immediately feeling something cold and wet. She touched the object from end to end realising that it was a cold compress. She left her hand on her forehead while looking around, finding her vision blurred.

Her sight still foggy, she was able to recognise that she was in her room. Her memory was groggy at best. She didn't remember how she had gotten in it or what she had done the previous night.

A sudden image of Ginny's face appeared, fading in and out of clarity and Hermione couldn't tell whether what she was seeing was real or not. Ginny was smiling, radiating warmth and happiness all around her. Hermione smiled, her delusional mind picturing Ginny as a light to illuminate her path, the sun in her drunken darkness.

A light wave of nausea hit Hermione and Ginny's light faded out again. She crawled out of bed as best as she could and put her bare feet on the cold floor for a minute or two: Her head spinning like crazy, her weak legs barely able to hold the weight. For a minute, she thought she was going to fall and Ginny who had seen the weak Hermione getting up ran to help her friend and grabbed her by her arm stabilizing her. A minute later, Hermione felt a harder wave of nausea hitting her like a thousand bolts and knew that she would not be able to hold it any longer. She freed herself from Ginny and rushed to the bathroom to vomit before it was too late.

"Hermione, how do you feel?" Ginny asked concerned for her friend.

"Awful! Ugh! What happened last night?" Hermione asked feeling horribly sick, her head still spinning crazily.

Ginny was taken aback at Hermione's sudden amnesia; she was horrified and disappointed that she didn't remember… the kiss, so she asked, "So… so you… you don't remember anything? Nothing about last night?"

The disappointment was clear in Ginny's eyes as she said reminiscing everything that happened at the party, "The butterbeer, the…" Her voice trailed to a whisper as she finished the sentence; "The kiss."

Hermione was not able to hear what Ginny had said beyond the word butterbeer as another wave of nausea hit her, throwing up while Ginny who was behind her, held her brown locks and rubbed her back softly.

When she felt better, Hermione went to the sink to wash her face and brush her teeth to remove the horrible flavour that was lingering on her mouth.

"Butterbeer! I remember that!" exclaimed Hermione, patting cold water on her face, "And I know I'm never going near it again or anything else I did last night! Not if it makes me feel like this in the morning!"

The only sound Ginny was able to hear was the sound of the million pieces that her hearth broke in to.

Despite her sadness, Ginny helped her friend to the bed and suggested her to get some more sleep; advice, which was quickly followed by Hermione.

Once Ginny saw that Hermione was soundly sleeping, she allowed the sadness to flow. She knew that Hermione did not remember a thing about last night and she had quoted "She would never do what she did last night or go near it." She told herself, that Hermione was straight, that she was in love with her brother Ron and that she would never see her the way she wanted. The only thing she knew for certain was that despite her broken heart and knew the certainty of her relationship with Hermione, she still cared for her very much and didn't want to hurt her more. She made a mental note that as soon as she'd wake up, she would try to fix things with Hermione and be the friend that she was supposed to be.


	17. Torn inside out

_Chapter 17_

_Torn inside out_

The following morning, Ginny Weasley was woken up by gentle rays of sunshine caressing her face; the burning sun made her eyes squint. She rolled to the side and opened her eyes slowly, letting in where she was.

Memories of the previous events flashed in succession, putting her in a dream-like state for a couple of minutes. Her reverie was broken by Parvati Patil who entered the room and went towards her trunk which was laid open on top of the bed. Parvati looked toward were Ginny was and greeted her "Ginny, what are you doing on bed this late? Aren't you going home for Christmas?"

"Huh?" was the only response to Parvati.

Parvati saw the lost look in Ginny's face and went towards her and touched her lightly on the shoulder. "Ginny, are you all right?"

"Oh, Yes, I'm okay Parvati. Thanks for asking." "What were you saying before?"

"I was asking if you were going home for Christmas." Parvati said, scrutinizing Ginny's face.

"Yes, I'm going home." Ginny answered and instinctively looked at the clock in her nightstand, acknowledging that it was nine in the morning.

"Oh, for Merlin's Beard! I'm so late!" she exclaimed and started packing her stuff in a hurry.

After finishing her packing, Ginny rushed to breakfast, grabbing everything she could reach and started eating it as fast as she could. The few students that still remained in the Great Hall, looked puzzled at Ginny, for she now, looked very much alike her older brother Ron.

She finished breakfast and went to the train station.

The Christmas is here; and like every year, Weasleys have to return to their home for the usual family reunion.

Ginny entered the train, going immediately to her usual compartment which was occupied by Luna, Charlotte and Neville. Ginny greeted everyone in the compartment and sat down next to the window.

Everyone in room were merrily talking, sharing what they would do on the holidays, when the compartment door opened revealing Hermione.

"Hello Guys" she said politely and turned to look at Ginny "Gin, I'm happy to announce you that I'll be staying this summer at the Burrow," and with a mischievous smile closed the compartment.

Luna, Charlotte and Neville, looked puzzled and turned to look towards Ginny who was stunned and had her mouth agape.

Ginny couldn't believe it, this was definitely not what she had envisioned for the holidays and couldn't help to exclaim aloud "Hermione? ... Staying at the Burrow? No way!"

Luna looked at Charlotte for a brief moment before moving towards Ginny and sitting down next to her.

She laid and arm around Ginny and asked as smoothly as she could, "What are you going to do Gin?"

"I ahhh…" Ginny said but looked baffled. She didn't say anything for a couple of minutes and then she said, "I know that I have been a terrible friend guys, I ahhh…."

"What's wrong Ginny?" Charlotte asked worried for her friend.

"Well, I haven't told you what happened at the Ball," she paused for a bit and turned to look at Luna in the eyes, "after you left me."

The room felt suddenly heavy with tension and the occupants didn't know what to do or what to think.

Luna never took her eyes away from Ginny. She held Ginny's hands in hers and asked, "What happened Gin?"

Ginny looked around shyly, trying in vain to look at the eyes of her friends, who were waiting patiently for her to continue but Ginny was unable because in that precise moment, the memories flew freely and her heart went through elated happiness to profound deep pain.

Luna was still staring at Ginny in the eyes and held her hands in hers and said with sad and concern "Gin?" for she knew in her interior, that something important had happened for Ginny to be in this state of mind.

Ginny's gaze, reached Luna's, giving her the confidence and love that she needed, "After you left my side at the party, Hermione came to me and started asking me weird questions that I didn't understood or knew where she was getting at and I started to get angry with each reclaim. The next thing I know is that… well…"

"Well?" Charlotte impatiently asked.

"Hermione kissed me." Ginny finished the sentence and looked around to see what her friend's reaction was.

"Oh" Neville said and turned to look at the floor.

"Ohhhhhhh" Charlotte said a couple of minutes after Neville and had a huge smile plastered in her beautiful face.

The only one that didn't say anything was Luna but nonetheless had smiled knowingly. "But?"

Ginny then, told them of how she had helped Hermione get her room and how she stayed with her the night, taking care of her friend, and how next morning, Hermione didn't have recollection of the previous night's events.

"So you see, my problem now is, I know that I promised myself to be the friend that I'm supposed to be to her but, I can't. I don't know if I'm going to be able to…" "And now with Hermione on the Burrow… I don't know how I'm going to be able to do it."

"You'll have to be strong Gin. You will have to try and be friends with her for the sake of you both." Luna said matter-of-factly.

"And if it doesn't work…" Charlotte said and Luna finished for her, "Give us a call and we'll be there for you hun, no matter what. You can always count with us, you know that." Luna finished and hugged Ginny tightly.

"You can count on me too," said Neville sheepishly a few seconds later.

"Thanks guys," Ginny thanked them while she lied contently on Luna's arms for a few more minutes before Luna went back to Charlotte.

A few minutes later, the train arrived at the Burrow. Ginny grabbed her trunk from the luggage compartment and said good-bye to her friends. She made her way outside the train and stood there quietly as she saw Ron, Hermione and Harry being greeted by the twins; after a few minutes they went inside the home.

Ginny then, took a step towards her brothers who hugged her tightly, "Hey little sis!" said Fred, "We missed ya!" finished George while playfully messing with Ginny's hair.

"I missed you too guys" Ginny answered genuinely of seeing them and blushed a little bit at George playfulness.

"We better get inside or mom will kill us," said George and made her way to the house.

Fred stood where Ginny was, he laid a hand above Ginny's shoulder and asked her, "So, How was Hogwarts little sis?"

"I'll tell you later Fred. I don't want mom getting upset at me so early in the holidays." Ginny answered and motion his brother to follow.

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(Ginny's Point of View )

I had barely given a step into the house when my mom greeted me with what I call a "Bear Hug" (a very tight hug). I was almost going to tell her that she was suffocating me when she saw the rest of the group and applied the same Motherly torture to all of them. Harry and Ron went upstairs to unpack followed by Hermione and the Twins.

While my mother was hugging them, I started to wonder how on earth I was going to survive the holidays sharing the same bedroom with Hermione. How was I going to be able to "be her friend" when all I felt was "none so friendly". I wanted more from her that she would ever want from me. So, I convinced myself that the best possible solution for my dilemma would be to spend it at Luna's.

I remained downstairs and talked to mom asking her if I could stay at Luna's house this Christmas; all I got was a rotund negative from her "Ginny Dear, that won't happen. How do you expect me to give you permission to go to Luna's when your brother Bill is coming home?" she sounded annoyed.

"But Mom... "

"Ginny Dear, please be reasonable" My mom said irritated.

"Mom...please" I begged out of desperation as I didn't wanted to be near a certain brown haired girl with brown eyes that happened to be upstairs with Harry and my brother Ron.

"Genevra Molly Weasley! Stop acting like a child! There is no way I'm going to let you go and that's final." she said exasperated. She turned spotting Hermione who was just coming downstairs and apparently was looking for me. Mom smiled graciously, like if nothing had happen a previous moment.

Next thing I know is that I'm going upstairs with Hermione and mom behind me. As soon as I open the door to my bedroom, my dear mother smiles at Hermione sweetly and worried at the same time.

"Hermione Dear, I'm really sorry but Ginny and you'll have to share the bed as the other one has the springs out. I promise that when you come again it'll be fixed" next she turns to me and says "You don't mind Ginny, Do you?" giving me that certain motherly look hardly avoidable and one that you couldn't say no for an answer.

Now, Hermione and I are on my bedroom alone... I start unpacking while I hear her talking to me...

"Ginny"... she says. I'm starting to turn around when I found myself wrapped in Hermione's arms with her bushy hair next to my nose... and I can smell her...She smells like parchment, like sweet vanilla combined with a mixture of fruity-almond and wood. I can't seem to focus... my mind is racing and I feel Hermione's hands holding mine, then she whispers to my ear "I've missed you so much Gin" and while crying she adds reproachfully "Why have you been apart from us for so long?"

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Ginny didn't know how to answer Hermione's question, whether tell her the truth or not. While she was debating herself for the answer, a knock on the door was heard.

Hermione went to the door and opened it, finding Harry standing in doorway. "Molley says that she needs your help Hermione."

"Oh, ok. Thanks Harry." answered Hermione. She gave Ginny a look before heading towards where she knew that Molley Weasley awaited for her.

A few minutes later, Ron and Harry joined her to help her peel some sprouts. Harry told them of what he had found the day at the ball, in which he had heard that Snape had made an Unbreakable Vow with Narcissa Malfoy to protect his son, Draco at all cost.

"An Unbreakable Vow? Are you sure that you heard it right?, He can't have done it." Ron said, looking stunned.

"Yes, I'm sure that that's what I heard. Why, what's An Unbreakable Vow?

"An Unbreakable Vow is a magical incantation in which one wizard makes an oath to another. If the person who accepts the conditions of the Unbreakable Vow breaks them, they die. The spell involves the two wizards joining their hands, and a third person, designated as a "Bonder", placing the tip of their wand onto their hands, upon which one person asks another person three separated terms of the Vow, where the person will respond "I will". Upon assent with each clause of an Unbreakable Vow, a thick tongue of fire winds around the linked hands." Hermione answered matter-of-factly.

"Hermione is right," said Ron, "when I was about five years old, Fred and George tried me to make one and I almost did it if Dad hadn't found us."

Ron looked thoughtful and added, "When he found about it, he went mental."

"You should be thankful about it, Ronald!" Hermione reminded him, "If he hadn't done it and someone broke the vow… You'd be dead by now."

"Yeah, I guess," said Ron thoughtfully.

Ginny Weasley still remained motionless in the same spot where Hermione had left her a few minutes earlier in search for Molly Weasley.

Ginny remained a few more minutes in deep thought when she heard a knock on the door and heard the distinctively voice of her brother Fred calling her.

She instinctively went towards the door and opened it. She let her brother came in and closed the door behind him.

Fred noticed the confusion in his little sister's face and asked her, "What's wrong sis?"

"I don't know what to do Fred," said Ginny

"What is it that you don't know what to do about Gin?" Fred asked a little confused.

Ginny told him everything that had happened between Hermione and her since the Ball and an hour ago.

"So, you see my problem?" asked Ginny.

Fred nodded briefly. He stood quiet and thoughtful for a few minutes before speaking, "Gin, why don't you talk with Hermione and let her know how you feel."

"I can't Fred. She said that she would never do what she did that night or go near it." Ginny answered her brother sadly. She paused for a bit, sighing audibly and then finished her sentence, "I can't afford to loose her… I don't think that I could handle not having her in my life, you see?"

"Then, that's your answer little sis." Ginny's brother said and hugged her.


	18. Surprise

_Chapter 18_

_Surprise_

The next day, the weather was perfectly sunny and warm despite being winter.

Once Harry, Ron and Hermione finished the chores that had assigned them, they went to the backyard to play some Quidditch while Hermione sat under the shade of a big tree and opening a big book, started reading. A few minutes had passed of game and Fred and George appeared and joined the game.

Ginny Weasley was watching them from her bedroom window. Her eyes focused on the girl sitting at the bottom of the tree.

She knew that her friends and her brother were right, Hermione was her friend and because of that friendship she would have to risk telling her about the feelings that she had for her or at least she would tell her that she was gay. She set her mind and went towards where Hermione was.

"Do you mind if I sit next to you?" asked Ginny, smiling timidly.

"Of course not, silly." Hermione answered while patting the floor next to her.

Ginny sat in a lotus position where Hermione had indicated and looked at her friend, loosing herself in Hermione's beautiful eyes for a few seconds. "What are you reading?"

"Oh... It's a book named: _Everything you need to know about House Elves and Elfish Rights_." Hermione answered while looking at Ginny curiously, trying to tell why Ginny was looking at her the way she did.

Harry stopped playing Quidditch and only pretended to from the moment that Harry saw Ginny crossing the garden door and heading towards where Hermione was. He flew to a place where he could see better what was going on with the girls and at the same time still play.

Fred noticed Harry not paying attention to the game and looking intently at Hermione and Ginny. He flew next to him and asked, "So you know too huh?" "about them..."

"Yeah. I don't know what to do. I don't like seeing Ginny unhappy. I wish there was something I could do to help her… but I don't know how," Harry answered him honestly.

"I have and idea. Wait here," Fred flew towards his twin George.

George was not stupid and had seen Fred talking with Harry and he also saw where they were looking. So when Fred flew next to him, knew that he was up to something. George wanted to help, he knew that something was not right with his little sister Ginny and wanted to help as much as he could.

"What's up Fred?" asked George while throwing a bludger at Ron.

Fred whispered what his plan was when a desperate Ron yelled "Oiiii you too….Are you going to play or what?"

"Suddenly I find myself thirsty, Fred." said George

"And so am I," said Fred.

"Both twins looked at each other while saying at the same time. Let's go all to Diagon Alley and have butterbeer?"

"Butterbeer…" asked Ron, "But we have some in the fridge." automatically responded Ron.

"I want one" Harry said and flew towards the ground, followed by the others. Fred and George disappeared inside the house while Harry and Ron dismounted their broom and went towards where Hermione and Ginny were.

A sudden yell from Mrs. Weasley was heard from the kitchen, "Ronald Weasley! If you don't come in, this instant…"

Everyone looked at Ron who was blushing in embarrassment and looked deflated "I better go… I'll see you guys inside."

Once Ron was out of earshot, Harry told Ginny and Hermione, "Fred and George are inviting me for drink in Diagon Alley. Want to come with us?"

"Oh ah I don't know Harry," said Hermione doubtful.

"Come on Hermione, it will be fun."

"I don't like drinking very much. Not after how I felt after the Ball," Hermione replied remembering the unpleasant feeling that she got the next morning after the Ball.

"If you don't want to drink… then at least keep us company," pleaded Harry.

Hermione turned to look at Ginny who appeared suddenly sad. She could not help but to wander why the sudden change in Ginny's mood was. "Okay, I'll go if Ginny does."

Ginny's sad face was momentarily replaced by confusion as she didn't know what the conversation was about as she had been a few moments earlier in her own world, remembering the Ball's night and the next morning events.

She looked from Hermione to Harry momentarily, her confused expression still present. "Sure," she said, not really sure what was she agreeing to.

Harry helped both girls to stand up and the three went inside the house to meet Fred and George who where waiting in the kitchen.

"Where is Ron?" asked Hermione.

"Ron has been grounded." George started saying.

"Mom found a pair of panties between his stuff and grounded him for the rest of the holidays. When we asked him about them he got all angry and muttered Gift-Lavander-kill-her."

"You should have seen his face! It was hilarious!" both twins said and started laughing.

Before anyone could say something, George motioned everyone to the chimney to make use of the Floo Network.

A few minutes later, they all found themselves in Diagon Alley. The usual crowded streets now appeared semi-deserted. They couldn't deny that these were in fact difficult times.

Feeling a small chill curse through them, Harry, Hermione, Ginny and the twins walked towards the Leaky Cauldron. They went inside the pub and to a table near the bar where they sat down.

Fred was going to stand up when George said, "I'll go and get us the drinks." He gave his brother a quick wink and said, "I'll be right back." while the others at the table were talking.

A few minutes later, George returned with three butterbeers and two firewhiskeys. He passed them around and sat down.

Hermione looked at the butterbeer in her hand with disgust. She turned to look at George with a short smile and said, "I don't feel like drinking George," she pushed the bottle to the center of the table, "but thanks anyway."

Fred and George made a sad-puppy-face to Hermione. "Oh Hermione, don't be like that. At least give it a sip and join in the celebration," George said.

"Please do it for us?" asked Fred who still had his sad-puppy-face mask on.

"Oh I guess." Hermione finally conceded, uncorking the bottle and the sweet aroma of butter was perceived by her nostrils. As soon as the smell registered in her mind, a quick flash appeared in her mind of that night at the ball: She saw herself admiring Ginny, who looked beautiful in the black dress that fitted her so well and saw herself being slightly jealous of Harry's luck and the flash ended.

Hermione looked with disgust at the beer, her unconscious mind remembering her sickness the following day of the ball. She was so entranced by it that she didn't notice that Luna Lovegood had entered the pub and that Ginny had stand up to see her friend.

George and the rest of the occupants of the table noticed Ginny stepping close to Luna and didn't want Hermione to notice it. So George said as Hermione came back from her trance, "Why don't you take a sip from it Hermione?"

"I don't know about it George… It…" she said, clearly not sure of what she wanted to say. She then noticed that Ginny was not sitting next to her and turned to look for her, spotting her next to Luna Lovegood and clearly enjoying themselves. She frowned at the sight and a wave of jealousy coursed through her, making her angry. She returned her sight to the table and placed it into the bottle of butterbeer that was lying in front of her. She took it in her hands, taking it to her lips and sipping the content in a gulp.

The bubbling liquid made her throat sore and hot, her tongue send a signal to her brain as it registered the flavour, associating it with what she had lived and another flash occurred. This time, she saw herself drunk and getting jealous as she saw Ginny talking amicably with Luna Lovegood. She then saw herself going towards Ginny and confronting her; Ginny making it seemed like she didn't understand what Hermione was getting at with all the questions and then, the flash was over in a second.

"Harry… May I have a word with you in private?" she said, arching an eyebrow to George and Fred to make her point.

"Ahhh… We just saw Angelina in the bar and need to talk to her… We'll see you in a bit" Fred said, winking to his brother, who followed him after a second after he had left.

"Harry, I need to ask you something… important," Hermione said once they were alone at the table.

"Spit it out Hermione," Harry said, watching Hermione with a puzzled look.

"Do you remember the Christmas party night?"

"Yeah." Harry answered after taking a sip from his butterbeer.

"Did I…Did I drink too much?" Hermione blushed a little bit embarrassed for asking.

"Oh well, you did drink a bit."

"A bit?" Hermione asked pausing momentarily and then continued, "A bit too much?"

"Yeah. I have never seen you drink like that before." Harry answered truthfully. "Don't you remember?"

"Actually, not much. I have had a couple of flashes about it. But, I don't know… there's something bothering me…" she paused and then said more to herself than Harry, " If I was so drunk, how did I manage to get into my room?"

"You should probably ask Ginny about it." Harry said, "I don't have much to tell you about that night; after we arrived at the party, I left you with her to go with Slughorn who introduced me to some of his friends. I remember leaving you two for a couple of minutes and when I returned, Ginny was no longer with you. I talked to you a couple of minutes but you seemed not to be paying any attention to me and started drinking very much. I don't know how many you had as I lost count of it. A girl that I didn't know approached me and we started talking, by the time that I looked at you, you were no longer there," Harry said a bit embarrassed at his admission, "I'm sorry."

"It's fine Harry. I'm sorry for the hard time that I gave you. I really don't know what happened to me."

"Liar." The voice inside Hermione told her, "You and I know why you started drinking too much Hermione, and that's because you saw Ginny chatting with Luna."

"Oh shut it! I don't want to hear you know!" Hermione said to herself and shook her head to shake it off but the voice inside her head only gave an audible sigh and left her alone for the time being.

"It's ok Hermione." Harry said, giving her a reassuring smile while placing his hand on top of hers.

"So…" said Fred... "I hope we're not interrupting anything here…" said George mockingly.

"Oh No, no, not at all." responded Hermione quickly.

"Well, in that case, we have a surprise waiting." both twins said grinning at the same time, motioning Harry and Hermione to follow them as they called Ginny to join.

"Fred, George: it's bit late and Mrs. Weasley is probably dead with worry about us. We should get back to the Burrow before she ground us." Hermione told the twins, her face reflected worry.

"Not to worry dear Hermione," Fred said greening a charming smile, his teeth shinning like in the movies.

"We already told mom about it. Besides, she and Dad left the house for a romantic evening." George added, grinning and winking at him.

The four of them, left the pub and waited outside for Ginny who was still inside.

A few minutes later, Ginny arrived with Luna who greeted everyone, including a not very happy Hermione.

"So what's the surprise?" asked an irritated Hermione, jealousy taking the best of her.

"I can't tell. You will have to find it for yourself Hermione but I can tell you this, you'll love it, isn't it Fred?"

"Sure thing, George." answered Fred and added putting his arm around Luna as if they were old pals. "In fact, why don't you come with us Luna?" Luna looked at him for a brief moment, nodding briefly, before she returned her sight to the front.

"What now?" Hermione thought incredulous.

Fred and George and the rest of them started walking while Hermione was the last one. She mumbled to herself sarcastically, "That's great! Just what I needed." and shook her head.  
The twins guided them to the back of their store, stopping in an empty snowed lot, waiting for everyone to arrive.

Hermione looked to where the twins were standing, and seeing nothing, the jealousy-monster on her inside, made her speech come out more sarcastic than she thought, "Great! This is really an amazing surprise! There is nothing here."

"Really Hermione, be patient and you shall get rewarded."George told her placing a hand on her shoulder, reassuring her. He then proceeded to tap his wand with his brother in a circular way, three times to the right, and three in a square to the left side. The markings that they had done on the snow disappeared once they finished as if never had happened.

A few seconds later, a medium shack appeared out of nowhere and the lights coming from it were neon colours and the sound of electronic music was heard.  
Fred and George knocked on the door and a tall, raven-haired boy with pale skin and a red knitted vest opened, letting them go through. The twins stood in the entrance and motioned everyone to go inside while saying, "Well, come on!"


	19. Surprise part 2

*note: Thanks to Moodyprince for pointing out some typos that I hadn't notice and that now are fixed. Thanks so much ;-)*

_Chapter 19_

_Surprise part 2_

Inside the shack, there were several people dancing and enjoying themselves. The place was iluminated by neon light colours and the music was hypnotic.

Harry, Hermione, Ginny, Luna and the twins made their way towards an unoccupied table near the dance floor and the bar. Luna slid in first , followed by Ginny and Hermione, and then the rest of them, the twins bringing up the rear.

They all looked around for a minute, taking in the place. They noticed that in the table where they were, the music was loud enough to hear it but it was still possible to chat.

"This place is nice," Luna commented, breaking the silence.

"I'm glad that you like it Luna," George told her. He stood up and turned around to look at everybody and asked, "Anybody up for a drink?"

Hermione looked momentarily at everyone with scrutinizing eyes. She couldn't believe what they were doing in a place like that, especially since most of them were underage. Noticing that they were going to speak up, she rapidly said while raising an eyebrow and putting her 'don't-want-trouble-face in place, "George, may I remind you that we are not supposed to be here or drink for that matter as most of us are not of age?" and added sarcastically, "You on the other hand..."

"Dear Hermione," George responded, "If you haven't noticed, you are of age!" He took out of his shirt a couple of IDs with their pictures and showed her. The IDs were one for every one of them.

Hermione looked at him with disbelief and then, her face tinted red with anger while her voice raised an octave when saying, "WHAT?" Then, she added, "You must be kidding George... This is not right! Do you realise that if we are caught, we are going to be in huge trouble?"

She looked at him and saw that her words had had no effect on him and that he had a huge smile on his handsome face. "This is so not right!" she said to the air.

"I'm sorry but I can't be a part of this. I'm out of here."As she said it, she stood up ready to leave but George held her by the arm interrupting her escape.

"Wait, Hermione."

"Before you leave, let me say something," George paused, expecting her to yell, but Hermione's rage prevented her from saying a word. George took it as a clue to continue, "Hermione, please stay. Do it for Harry and Ginny if you don't want to do it for us. They're your best friends and you can't leave them alone in here. Besides, Mom and Dad aren't at home as you well know. Ron would be the only one there and I seriously doubt that he will be more fun than us. Honestly..."

She looked at him with daggers in her eyes as she fully well knew that he was manipulating her, using her feelings for her friends in this, to make her do something that was clearly not right and could get them into so much trouble if they were caught. Still, her rational mind told her that George was right in one thing and that was that being alone with Ron in the house would not be fun at all. Her anger subsided slightly but she didn't let him and the others know it.

George looked at his little sister and once their eyes connected, he silently pleaded her to help him convince Hermione to stay. Ginny didn't say a word nor move for a few seconds, and then she went towards her friend and love of her life.

Ginny stood in silence momentarily. She examined Hermione briefly, trying to tell how angry the woman that she adored was. Deciding that it was safe for her to speak, she locked eyes with her and said while gently holding her hand, "Please stay. There is not much time left for us to have fun nowadays. Soon, we'll get back to Hogwarts, Harry, Ron and you'll be studying and I'll be deep with exams and we won't be able to enjoy ourselves. So stay, Hermione, I'm begging you... Please," she said the word please stressing the 'ea' and making her best puppy face.

Hermione lost herself in Ginny's eyes when she spoke to her. They were sparkling in a way that she had never seen before; she didn't recognize what it was and was determined to find out the meaning. In Hermione's mind, of all the mysteries that Ginny possessed lately, one thing was certain, and that was that by immersing in those azure eyes, her anger subsided completely, leaving her at peace and hypnotising her. Looking at those eyes, she could not say no even though she didn't approve of what they were about to do.

"Fine." Hermione audibly sighed and then composing herself she said with authority, "But I want to clear something up, this will be the last time that I will be agreeing to something like this. After we leave, I want to have the IDs so that they can't be used again. Understood?" She looked at Ginny, waiting for her to agree.

"Sure." Ginny agreed and turned to look at her brothers and said, "Right guys?"

"Yeah." They said in unison when Hermione looked at them.

Once the girls had sat down, Fred asked them what they wanted and went to grab the drinks and the food.

Meanwhile at the table, Harry and George started talking about Quidditch while Luna excused herself to go to the bathroom, leaving Hermione and Ginny in an awkward silence for a couple of minutes.

In those few minutes, Ginny tried paying attention to the conversation that Harry and her brothers were having, but she couldn't. The only sound that she could hear was the sound of her dancing heart for the closeness of Hermione's body next to her. She didn't know what to do as Hermione stood just there, staring at everything and nothing at all. After a few seconds of indecision, she decided that breaking the silence was the best course of action...

She turned to look at Hermione, then, touched her shoulder gently while she said with a shy smile, "Thanks for staying Hermione."

Hermione's eyes met Ginny's and smiled at her in response.

No more words were crossed between them as Fred arrived with the drinks and the food. A few seconds after Fred, Luna arrived from the bathroom and sat at the table. Everyone helped themselves to the tasty food and drinks.

From bite to bite, they talked of several topics like 'the twins' store updates, Quidditch, schoolwork, among other things. The only one that was eating absentmindedly without speaking to anyone was Hermione. She was in her world, trying to decipher what was going on with her and why was she so upset and jealous towards Luna.

Hermione was so deep in her thoughts that she didn't notice that the table started to empty. Fred and George had gone to the dance floor and started dancing with a couple of girls while Harry and Luna danced together.

And so Ginny and Hermione were alone at the table...

They were in their own world and so no words or sounds were emitted, creating a very tense atmosphere.

Ginny didn't want to leave her friend alone in the state that she was. She didn't know what to do. She wanted to have the courage to tell her that she was gay and that she was smitten with her. She repeated in her head over and over: _"Hermione, there's something that I want to tell you... I'm gay." _But each possible scenario turned horribly wrong, making her scared of telling the truth so she remained in silence while finishing her drink.

Hermione on the other hand was still debating what to do with herself, how to confront what she was feeling and what she was remembering from the night at the Christmas Party.

"Hermione, are you all right?" Ginny asked worriedly, finally breaking the heavy silence.

Hermione looked at Ginny with confusion, and then she quickly turned to looked around her, noticing the absence of most of her friends. She managed to respond to her, "I'm ok Gin. Thanks for asking."

"Are you sure?" Ginny asked unconvinced.

"Yes, I'm sure." Hermione responded with a smile.

"I know you Hermione, what is it?" Ginny pressed.

"Nothing silly, I just told you that I'm okay." She tried reassuring her.

"Oh well, if you say so." Ginny said not convinced but deciding to leave the subject. Instead she said, "I'm going to the bar for another drink. Do you want one?"

"I think I've had enough for one day. Thanks anyway." Hermione responded smiling.

Ginny said, "Okay. I'll be back in a moment." and winking at her, left her towards the bar.

The twins saw that Ginny had left Hermione alone to go for another drink, so they both went towards the lonely girl and invited her to dance with them.

Harry, who was dancing with Luna, noticed the twins going towards his friend and knew that this was part of their plan to help Ginny and Hermione. He excused himself from Luna and went towards were Ginny was. When he reached her, he noticed that she was a bit drunk and wondered if it had something to do with Hermione and her being left alone at the table.

"How many drinks did you have?" Harry said, as he looked at her with slight worry in his eyes.

"This is my third Firewhiskey if you must know Harry." Her response was a bit slower than usual and her eyes were slightly glazed.

"Does this have something to do with Hermione?" Harry asked without thinking, he immediately regretted it and said matter-of-factly, "Of course it's because of her..."

Then he added, "Why don't we have some fun and try to make you forget..." and offering his hand to her asked, "Dance with me?"

Ginny thought about it for an instant. "Sure." She said, accepting Harry's hand and went to the dance floor.

The place was full and the people that were dancing were enjoying themselves. Fred and George took turns dancing with Hermione until they saw that Ginny was dancing with Luna and Harry. Winking at his brother George, Fred led Hermione through the dance floor matching Ginny's movements perfectly. By the end of the dancing, Hermione and Ginny were facing each other.

The time seemed to slow for them the moment that their eyes met...

The moment that Hermione saw Ginny, she felt a wave of heat coming from her insides, making her blush. She could not take her eyes away of Ginny's, marvelling at the beauty of the woman in front of her. She mentally reprimanded herself when she acknowledged what she was doing, telling herself that Ginny was her friend, that it was Ron's sister, that thinking the way she was, was not right.

From her drunken eyes, mesmerized, Ginny stared at the marvelous creature that was Hermione; she was an angel that had come down from heaven. She couldn't believe that such creature could be real. The potent feelings that she had for this woman were making their way through her, making her heart beat uncontrollably, her mind was fuzzy, and her body started reacting on its own. The feeling of warm lips against her own set her body on fire...

Still in her drunken state, Ginny Weasley opened her eyes and saw Hermione with a shock expression. In that instant, her drunkenness vanished instantaneously. Terror possessed her as she realized with horror what she had just done, making her run away from there as fast as she could


	20. The Ripple Effect

_Chapter 20_

_The Ripple Effect_

I'm running as fast as I can, out of the bar, out to the open. I need to breathe...

My eyes are filled with tears that are running freely though my cheeks, I taste the salty flavour in my mouth.

My mind screams, my heart aches with pain... What did I do? Why did I do it? I keep repeating over and over in my head as I keep running to a place where I can hide, feel safe. I don't have a particular place in mind, I really don't know where I'm going and I don't care. I need to run, run as fast as I can, to get rid of this feeling, of this sadness... Oh... What have I done? What is Hermione going to think about me?

Of course she would hate me, I saw her face. What did I expect? That she would have kissed me back? Who am I fooling? She is straight and she would never, ever consider me as something more than a friend and I just screwed it. Her friendship was the only thing that I had left and I lost it for my stupidity.

If I hadn't been drinking... this would have never happened. Now, I will have to pay the price...

I'm falling to pieces....

***

Harry, Fred and George looked at each other sadly, the moment that Ginny Weasley ran out of the shack followed by Luna. They never imagined that their plan could backfire so badly, like it did and felt helpless as they didn't know what to do: Whether to run and search for the girls or stand where they were, with Hermione who had a shocked expression and remained motionless in the middle of the dance floor.

While the twins where debating with each other what to do, Harry moved towards his stunned friend to help her. Harry noticed that Hermione had not seen him, so he moved a little bit closer, and gently he touched Hermione's shoulder to acknowledge his presence to her.

"Hermione," Harry said very low to not frighten the shocked girl. She blinked twice.

Hermione's face was unreadable when she noticed Harry and said, "Yes, Harry?"

"Are you all right?" Harry asked concerned for his friend.

"I'm fine, Harry." Hermione lied and then noticed that Ginny and Luna weren't there. As she was about to ask him about it, Harry asked her unconvinced, "Are you sure?"

"Yes, I am, Harry." Hermione answered him trying to sound as convincing as she could, "Where's Ginny?"

"She ran away. The good news is that Luna was behind her."

"Oh! How nice of her..." Hermione commented sarcastically but Harry didn't notice it. She then added, "we should go find them. I really don't trust Luna to find Ginny, Harry."

"Ok, let's go then." Harry said and beckoned everyone outside. After paying their bill, Fred and George joined Harry and Hermione to start searching for Ginny and Luna.

***

Ginny Weasley stops for a second to breathe. She sees a big tree and hides under it. She lets herself fall to the snowy ground while hugging herself as she cries. She is cold; she forgot her jacket when she left the shack. She doesn't care... She wants to die...

She remains like that for what seemed hours but it has been only a couple of minutes. She hears the cold wind whooshing and sees the sky get darker. It's going to rain and things are going to get ugly. In her head, she sees her mom and dad, telling her that in times like the ones that they are living, she should not be wandering alone in the streets, especially when dark wizards are on the loose.

She decides to go home and stands up. As she is going to start walking, she hears distant footsteps, and fear overwhelms her. She hides in the shadow scared of the possibility of someone looking for her, someone like Hermione or worse, a dark wizard trying to kill her.

She waits in the darkness, counting the minutes and seconds as the steps gets closer. In the distance a shadow is now visible...

* * *

As the shadow approached, Ginny's heart beat faster. Sweat was pouring down her forehead, her hand was grabbing her wand tightly, ready to use it... and so the shadow was not a shadow anymore, but Luna who had ran behind her when she left the shack and had been looking for her.

"Ginny?" Luna called Ginny's name, worry and fear present in her voice. She kept calling her name over and over trying to reach out to her friend. She stopped a few meters away from where Ginny stood hidden and called the redheaded girl's name once more.

"L-Luna? Is that you?"Ginny's voice asked, stuttering a bit from the cold. She lowered her wand slightly but had it ready nonetheless.

Luna went towards where Ginny's voice had come from, seeing a dishevelled and soaked redheaded girl, with puffy-eyes. She was trembling as shivers ran through her.

"It's me hun, don't you worry," Luna said reaching for her friend. She hugged her tightly and comfortingly for a few moments, letting her fear for the girl wash over.

She kept hugging her, holding her close to her until she saw Ginny reacting to her touch and saw her friend putting her wand away. "Everything is going to be all right," she whispered soothingly.

Ginny let herself cry freely on Luna's shoulder, crying out until there were no more tears to shed. Then, she said, "I'm sorry for running away like that. I- I..."

"It's ok, sweetheart, you don't have to say anything. I know..." Luna said reassuringly while still holding her. "We have plenty of time to talk, once we reach your home, because you're soaking; besides, your parents will be frantic if they don't hear from you."

They both silently headed towards the Burrow still holding each other...

When they arrived, no one was there to greet them, so they entered the house and went towards Ginny's bedroom. Luna then, helped Ginny to undress and sent her to take a hot shower to help her relax. Once Ginny finished, she gave her fresh clothing and took her to bed, covering her with the blankets.

Ginny, turned to the side to face Luna and let her be comforted by her.

Luna remained next to Ginny, caressing her cheek lightly, tucking her hair behind her ear. Ginny turned to face her and muttered a low: "Thank you," and started feeling her eyes close to falling deep in sleep.

Once Luna saw that Ginny had fallen asleep, she stood up from the bed and giving Ginny a kiss on the forehead, left her to go to her home, not without first letting the rest of the group that Ginny and her were ok with the help of the golden galleon that Hermione had enchanted in their fifth year.

***

When Hermione received Luna's message, she told Harry and the twins about it, and they all headed home.

They arrived and saw that Molly and Arthur Weasley had not arrived yet and they all let themselves sigh in relief. Ron came down the stairs and greeted them all but Hermione was not really in the mood for Ron, so she passed him and headed straight towards Ginny and her shared bedroom.

"What's the matter with her?" Ron asked Harry.

"Don't ask." Harry answered him. They said good-bye to Fred and George and they went towards their bedroom to sleep.

Hermione opened the door and saw Ginny, who had her eyes closed and was asleep. She closed the door as silently as she could and made her way to the other side of the room. She took her clothes off and put her pyjamas on and crept into bed next to Ginny. She turned to look at Ginny, marvelling at the beauty that she possessed and then shaking the thought off, she readied herself to fall asleep. A few more minutes passed but she couldn't sleep, her mind was revisiting over and over, Ginny's kiss, what she had felt. She couldn't get her mind off of it, somehow, what Ginny had done, reminded her of something that had happened before, but she couldn't tell exactly what. That was the last thought she had and sleep took over her.


	21. Old Wizard's wisdom

_Chapter 21_

_Old Wizard's wisdom_

_Harry, Ron and Hermione were lost deep in a dark forest; the air was extremely cold and had a heavy musky smell that made it difficult to breathe. The surrounding trees were as tall as the eye could see and their bases were covered with thick green moss. _

_They walked through the forest for what seemed hours, immersing themselves deeper and deeper in the darkness..._

_They reached the tent where they were camping and as they went inside, Harry started arguing with Ron. In that instant, Hermione's mind reacted weirdly, letting her see the evolving scene from a different angle. She couldn't hear a thing; it was like in a silent movie and everything was slowed down... _

_She saw Harry's lips moving to form Voldemort's name. Harry's lips pronouncing each syllable painfully slowly until he finished. Then, the sound came back and Hermione heard the 'pop' sound of people apparating and a few seconds later, several hooded figures appeared next to them, surrounding them and they all had their wands pointing at them._

_The dark wizards took Harry, Ron and Hermione's wands; they bound them with a spell. The lead Death Eater instructed a wizard next to him to deliver the young wizards to their master. He did as told and apparated with them to a gloomy, dark graveyard. He walked towards the big shack in the middle of the yard with his 'prey' behind him, tied by the spell of his wand and went inside._

_The inside of the cabin was gloomy and dark; it had the same atmosphere as the Black's house but in a dilapidated way. The wood of the walls was dark and had misshaped holes in it. It gave the appearance that someone had pulled out the wood, leaving pieces behind. The floor had a heavy coat of grey dust that made it hard to tell which colour the floor was. In the middle of the room, there was a fireplace and in front of it, was a burgundy Victorian armchair. To the left side of the chair, there was a wooden cabinet that matched the colour of the walls. On top of it, there was a copper flower vase. From end to end of the top of the cabinet, the same dust that covered the floor was present. To the right side, there was a bookcase with several dusty books stacked in the shelves._

_The Death Eater approached the chair but stopped a few meters from it, as a voice as cold as ice said, "So, you have them?"_

"_Yes, Master." The Death Eater said and bowed as Lord Voldemort approached._

_Lord Voldemort with his snake-like eyes, looked at the three young wizards in front of him. He smiled malevolently and said in a voice that almost attempted to sound sweet, "I'm glad to have you three here." Then he raised his wand towards them and said the killing curse, "Avada Kedavra."_

Hermione woke up with a start, trembling and soaked with cold sweat. She looked around the room, taking in where she was. Once she was certain that this was not part of the nightmare, she turned to look next to her, to find Ginny sleeping. She remained a few minutes frozen in the spot, just staring at her, counting the multiple freckles in Ginny exposed skin. Her subconscious mind made her eyes trace Ginny's face and record every curve, every detail of it: the nose, the rosy-pale lips, her cheeks, the eyes, and her fiery-red hair.

It was still early morning and there was a small light coming from the window but still, she was able to notice from the corner of her eye a shadow in the corner of the room. Hermione's first reaction was to panic as her mind was still a bit uneasy with the after-effects of the bad dream that she had. Facing her inner fear, she turned around to look where she had seen the shadow to find out Professor Dumbledore sitting in a chair and smiling at her affectionately.

She returned the smile, comforted that it was just him and not some crazy Death Eater. Then she wondered how long had he been there and if he had seen her staring at Ginny. At this thought, embarrassed, she blushed.

"Miss Granger," Dumbledore said, looking down his nose as a playful smile crossed his face. His blue eyes twinkled in the morning sunlight. "I wondered if perhaps you wouldn't mind a morning walk in the orchard?"

Hermione, confused and intrigued why the Headmaster would pay her such a visit, sat up in the bed quickly, trying to gain her senses. Clearing her throat, she sttuttered, "Um, yes. Yes, of course, Professor."

"Then I shall wait for you in the kitchen. I believe Molly is making blueberry pancakes." With a small nod, the headmaster stepped outside the bedroom door, silently closing it behind him.

As soon as Hermione walked out of Ginny and her shared bedroom, the delicious smell of blueberry pancakes filled her nose, making her mouth water. She went down the stairs and walked towards the kitchen where Molly was flipping a pancake.

"Morning, Mrs. Weasley" Hermione said, smiling pleasantly.

"Morning, Hermione. Had a wonderful sleep?" Mrs Weasley asked smiling at her and at the same time flipping another pancake skilfully.

Hermione smiled at her reassuringly. "I believe Dumbledore is waiting for you in the garden. Oh... and please ask him if he is staying for breakfast. Thank you dear..."

Hermione, who for an instant had forgotten about the headmaster thanks to the wonderful smell of their breakfast, headed towards the garden to meet him.

Dumbledore was waiting for her, sitting on a bench and looking towards the horizon. His appearance was that of a very old man who was extremely tired. Even though his clothes and beard were carefully cared for, there was something odd about him.

Hermione shook off the thought, putting it in the back of her mind as she approached him. She took her coat off and sat beside him.

"Oh, those blueberry pancakes smell wonderful...Molly is such a great cook," he said while looking beyond the hill. "Beautiful isn't it?"

Hermione turned to look where the headmaster was looking at: The morning sky was pale blue; the clouds were beautifully positioned among the sky, while the sun was lazily coming out. "Yes, it is." she said, entranced by the beauty of the place. Then, she said, "This is my favourite time of the year. Since the first time that I came here, I've been in love with the peace that it can offer and I haven't found another one like it."

Dumbledore looked at her thoughtfully for a few seconds, then, he got up and said, "Shall we walk for a bit?" and offered his hand to Hermione to help her stand up.

They walked in silence for a bit and then the headmaster said, "Don't you love how the snow crackles when the frost settles over it in the early morning?"

"Look!" he said, pointing towards a gnome that had his feet deep in the snow. He pulled it out and took a step, but lost his balance and fell over onto his face.

"Did you notice that garden gnomes don't like the snow very much?" he asked, smiling.

As the gnome cursed in his own language, Dumbledore smiled briefly, "Makes them very irritated as you can see." Hermione laughed at his comment.

After a few minutes in silence, Hermione said, "Professor, I don't think that you came all this way to talk about the snow, did you?

He stopped nearby a snowy large apple tree. A sad look crossed his face as he turned towards the sunrise, allowing the warmth to fill his cheeks with hints of pink. "Hermione, there are dangerous times ahead, for all of us. I don't expect you to understand all that I'm about to tell you, but I need you to remember."

"Professor," Hermione said, her eyes large filled with concern, "thinking it might have been better if Harry and Ron had been here too?"

The fading wizard turned his eyes towards the Burrow, as a small smile returned to his face. "No, I think what we have to say is a far more detailed than Mr. Weasley or Mr. Potter are prepared for. Now, if you please," Dumbledore continued, pulling his wand from the sleeve of his robe, "I believe you'll want to take a couple of notes."

Fresh parchment and a quill appeared from thin air, and Hermione set into action, jotting down every word Dumbledore muttered. Little, if any, of the information made sense, but understanding it as Dumbledore explained would come from living it, not writing it.

Hermione's hand finally stilled as the Professor finished his thoughts. As though out of breath, Hermione quietly asked, "Sir, am I to simply memorize this, or..."

"No, no. Just keep it in a safe place for now. You'll find it useful far later," he interjected, resting a heavy hand on her shoulder.

"And should I need to know how to use the information, I shall simply owl you," Hermione stated, rolling the parchment tight. "I should go and wake Ron and Harry. We need to talk about some things. It's getting colder by the minute! Would you like to come back inside? Mrs. Weasley asked if you were staying for breakfast."

"Ah! Well that's one good thing about being as old as I am, you see. I don't seem to be affected by the cold... but I also didn't just crawl out of a warm bed, either," Dumbledore said, offering a small wink.

Hermione face flushed red. _He couldn't possibly know!_ Or did he see the longing in her eyes as she gazed upon Ginny's face just before?

She hung her head... he wouldn't understand. How could he?

"You know, our hearts have a way of showing us what our heads refuse to see. Have you ever noticed that, Miss Granger?"

Dumbledore gently raised the young girl's chin to look into her eyes. "I do understand, my dear. But I fear that you lean more on your head, than on your heart."

He looked towards the Burrow as the sun hit Ginny's bedroom window. Sunbeams danced over it, beckoning her from her sleep. Hermione stood gazing at the house, her heart leaping as a sleepy red-head stretched and greeted the morning.

"Well," Dumbledore piped, startling Hermione from tempting thoughts, "I think it's time to part ways for now. Do give my best to Mr. Weasley and Mr. Potter and give my thanks to Molly." He turned silently, and walked through the now-quiet snow, leaving Hermione pondering over his words. "Hermione, I think it would be a good time to follow your heart, don't you?"

With a small pop at the edge of the garden, Dumbledore was gone, leaving Hermione more confused than ever.


	22. Luna’s Mysterious Tea

_Chapter 22_

_Luna's Mysterious Tea_

Ginny Weasley woke up as the rays of sunshine lit her bedroom window. She rubbed her eyes, yawned and stretched; then she got out of bed and headed towards the window where she gazed at the sun which was lazily coming out through the clouds. "Beautiful morning" she said aloud to no one in particular and yawned once more. She went to the bathroom and splashed cold water on her face until she was fully awake; then she looked in the mirror at her own reflection, noticing her puffy-eyes with deep dark rings under them and messy hair. "I'm a mess. I should probably get a shower before breakfast... Merlin knows that if I go in like this, Mom will kill me," she commented, and went toward the shower. She opened the hot knob, letting the water run while she took her clothes off.

Once that she was ready, she bent a bit to test the water temperature, making sure that it was hot enough for her to go in and step inside. She moved her face under the hot liquid letting it soak her completely, and then turned around so that the water hit her back, relaxing her body instantly. Sudden flashes of the previous night's events flashed through her, making her immediately tense. The pain and anxiety rushed through her, making her to go back in time a few short hours ago. Shaking her head to rid herself of those thoughts and feelings, dread overcame her at the idea of facing Hermione, Harry, and her brothers. She couldn't face Hermione... How could she? After everything that had happened the night before.

She submerged under the water, adjusting the temperature so that it was hot enough to roast the flashes and the feelings that came with them. Once she accomplished it, she got dressed and started walking toward where her family and friends where having breakfast. As she reached the bathroom door, she stopped abruptly, her thoughts betraying her, "I'm not ready to face Hermione, I don't know if I'll ever be," she said, sighing audibly and then she resumed her way to meet them.

_(Ginny's point of view)_

As I enter the room, the wonderful smell of blueberry pancakes fills my nose and I'm momentarily paralyzed. I'm suddenly awakened from that state as my mom greets me, "Ginny, dear, I'm so glad that you're finally up. I was about to send Hermione to find you," she said and added, "sit down dear, I'll get you some pancakes."

I walk in silence to my usual place, aware of that everyone is looking at me intently, pressing into me like daggers. I sat down, staring at my empty plate which in seconds is filled with four blueberry pancakes. I don't dare to look up but I have to, I have to get the butter and my favourite blueberry jam that Mom has prepared for us. As I glance up, I'm instantly aware of Hermione staring at me earnestly but I pretend to not notice it.

I spread the butter on a pancake ridiculously slowly, surreptitiously looking at every face: My dad is reading the Daily Prophet while drinking a cup of home grown coffee, the twins stare at me for a couple of minutes but seeing that I don't notice them or don't want to, start a conversation about their shop. Harry is about to say hi when Hermione leans towards him and Ron, whispering something hurriedly. _It definitely has to do something to do with me and what happened last night. What else could it be?_ They eat their breakfast quickly, excuse themselves from the table and run upstairs. My guess: Ron's room.

I finish my breakfast in a hurry, not really caring what the others might think or the sudden likeness with my brother Ron. I leave my plate on the sink and head towards the garden, to my secret hiding spot.

Slightly relaxed as I know that nobody will be able to find me here, I sit cross-legged beneath the snowy leafless cherry tree and look up at the sky, watching the numerous forms that the clouds take. As I think about Harry, Hermione and Ron talking hurriedly and running upstairs, I feel a mixture of indignation and sadness overpowering me, making me stand up in a flash. The mix of emotions blurs my mind, my feet pushes me in auto-pilot to an unknown place. When I'm finally aware of my surroundings, I find myself in front of Luna's place.

I look at the rook-shaped house for a couple of minutes, uncertain whether knock or not. After some minutes of indecision, I decided not to knock on the Lovegood's door and return home. As I start to leave the house, Luna opens the door and greets me with an unexpected hug.

"Gin, I'm so glad to see you here. Come in, come inside." she said, motioning me in the house.

"Oh I... ah..." I mumble not sure about it but Luna grabs my hand, drags me towards the room, and closes the door behind her.

She joins me a few seconds later and invites me to sit down. She sits next to me in the multicoloured patched couch and with a flick of her wand conjures a tea tray with a pot with boiling water and two mugs.

"How did you sleep last night?" Luna asked me.

"Not so well," I answered and then stood quiet not really wanting to talk about it.

"Want some tea? Daddy just got a new kind of tea from China. A friend of his, who is working there, sent some. It's really good and tasty. You should try it, it will help you to relax," she said, smiling, as she poured the hot liquid into the mugs and handed it to me while studying my face.

I look at the contents of the cup in front of me not sure whether to drink it or not. The liquid is a deep black colour at the base and it has two other layers on top of it: One light green and the other a deep cherry red which are not mixing. I lean my head gently to smell it, still unsure about it.

Luna stared at me the whole time but when she saw me staring at the tea, she laughed lightly and said, "Gin, I thought you trusted me. This tea will help you to relax as you seem to need. I have no intention of poisoning you, I assure you."

"But how...?" I look at her incredulous that she knows that I feel like hell. "Never mind," I say and sip a bit of the tea to not offend my host.

As the liquid enters my mouth, I'm instantly aware of a mixture of flavours which are absolutely delicious: the dark liquid is probably the best black-cocoa tea that I have ever tasted and I feel like telling Luna everything I know. _I wonder if she added Veritaserum in the tea..._ As I'm about to ask her, the green liquid makes its appearance. It tastes like a sweet mix of lemon-lime, and a soothing, calming sensation takes over me. Finally, the red liquid enters my mouth and the flavour that I perceive is cherry, like if I were eating fresh cherries, and I experience a hot wave of peace. I feel like everything is the way it should be.

"Yummy. This tea tastes good." I say to her approvingly.

"Glad that you like it, Gin," she said, smiling pleasantly. She looked at me for a minute before saying, "I know that something is troubling you. Care to tell me about it?"

"I ahhh... I don't know Luna. I should probably get back home as I didn't tell anyone where I was going. Besides, I don't want to bother you with my problems."

"Nah! Don't be silly, you never bother me. If you haven't noticed, I care for you," she said and placed her hand on top of my knee comfortingly. "We can send an owl to your family letting them know that you're here and then you can tell me what's bothering you."

"Okay. Thanks, Luna," I said and smiled at her.

After writing the note to my parents, we went to a room in the top level of the house, where she kept the family owls. She attached the note to her owl and sent him off to my home. Then, we went back to the living room where Luna's father was sitting on the couch and was reading a book that had a strange symbol engraved in its cover that momentarily caught my attention: One straight line captured within a triangle, and a drawn circle surrounding the previous two forms.

When he spotted us, he closed the book quickly, stood up and greeted us, "Good gracious! Is it Ginny Weasley my eyes are seeing?

"Hello, Mr. Lovegood. It's good to see you," I smiled and answered politely.

Luna's dad was about to say something but Luna beat him to it, "Daddy, would you mind letting us alone for a bit?" she said, looking at her father with that mysterious look so usual in her.

"Not at all dear princess, not at all." he said smiling, and with book in hand, he left the living room.

As soon as he left the room, Luna and I sat down on the couch. "What's the matter Gin?" she asked as she looked at me and waited for me to talk. I remained in silence for a couple of minutes, staring at the fire before I dared to speak. When I did it came out all in one breath: "I don't know Luna... I'm a complete mess. I feel terribly bad for what I did last night. I shouldn't have gotten drunk and kissed Hermione. I sure screwed it up! Hermione probably hates me now..." Then, I paused to recover my breath and I leaned over, placing my arms over my thighs and covering my face with my palms as I said crying, "I can't face her Luna! They all hate me!"

Luna hugged me as she whispered soothingly; she tugged a strand of my hair and tucked it beneath my ear, "They don't hate you, Gin."

"Yes, they do! Just this morning, I saw Hermione whispering something to Harry and Ron and they ran upstairs. That proves it!"

She remained quiet for a couple of minutes, thoughtfully and then said, "Have you thought that perhaps it had nothing to do with you?"

"What do you mean?" I said thoughtfully.

"Well, I know that they are not the kind of people that talk behind someone's back. If I had to guess, I would say that it had something to do with some kind of task that Dumbledore gave them."

"Maybe," I said and remained thinking about it until Luna out of the blue asked me, "Do you regret kissing Hermione?"

"Luna! How can you ask me that? " I said indignantly.

"I can tell something is bothering you. It's obvious for me from your appearance. You get that odd look whenever you are upset. I just can tell." Luna smiled as she answered.

"Please answer my question, Gin."

I remained in silence for a couple of minutes, analyzing my feelings for Hermione and everything that has happened so far. Finally I said, "No. I don't regret it. What I regret is losing her as a friend because of it."


	23. Letters and feelings

_Chapter 23_

_Letters and feelings_

After finishing their breakfast in a hurry, Harry, Ron and Hermione ran upstairs and into Ron's room where Hermione placed and Imperturbable charm on the door and said, "Dumbledore came to see me before breakfast. He asked me to tell you Harry, to go see him as soon as you get back to Hogwarts and he also wanted me to remind you of not going out alone while you're here."

As Hermione was about to tell them what she considered was the best to tell them of her conversation with Dumbledore, a tap in the window was heard and an owl that looked like Bill's was flying outside, waiting to be let in.

She went to let the owl in. The owl landed on top of Ron's drawer and hooted. Ron recognized the owl immediately and went to retrieve the letter from its leg.

"It's from Bill," he said aloud, "he says that he will not be coming for Christmas. Mom will be pissed! I better go and tell her."

Ron left the room towards the living room where her mother was sitting and had a multicoloured thing on her lap. She was reading a letter and as he approached her, she left the letter folded on the night table next to her. She took the knitting from her lap and was about to start when Ron said, "Mum."

"What is it dear?" she asked, smiling.

"Bill sent a note, saying that he will not be able to come for Christmas."

"Did he say why?"

"No, mom. He didn't." Ron said timidly, afraid of his mom's wrath.

Molly got up, tossed the knit down and marched off, mumbling that she would write a note to Bill giving him a piece of her mind for not spending the festivities with the family.

As Ron was about to return upstairs, curiosity took over him. He gazed towards the letter that her mom had placed on the night table and went towards it to read its content.

Once that he had read the letter, he returned towards his room and remained there for the rest of the evening, talking about Quidditch and playing chess with Harry and Hermione in turns.

While awaiting her turn to play with Ron, Hermione took a book that was lying on the floor and started reading it to kill the time. But she couldn't concentrate on it; her mind was wandering off to everything that Dumbledore had told her and to Ginny. She wondered if Dumbledore was right about her using of her mind more than her heart. It was then, that Hermione asked aloud, "Where's Ginny? It's strange that she hasn't been in the whole day."

"Oh, Ginny's at Luna's," said Ron while he waited a rook to move.

"What?" Hermione's voice raised an inch as she said it. Harry and Ron turned to look at her, surprised of her reaction.

Aware that both of them were looking at her, Hermione asked more calmly, "How do you know that?"

Ron, still gazing at her and trying to figure out what was wrong with Hermione, said, "Luna sent a note to mom telling her that she was at her house and that she should not worry, that she was fine."

In that instant, Hermione got up from her seat, and went out, slamming the door behind her, leaving Harry and Ron with their mouths agape. She went downstairs and crossed the living room where George and Fred were and whom said hi to Hermione but she didn't see them, she passed them and went outside and towards Luna's house.

"How on earth could she go to her and not me! Why does Ginny do this every time! Grrr," she cursed out loud.

She kept walking, furious at Luna and Ginny and decided that once she saw Ginny, she would talk to her and confront her once and for all.

When she reached Luna's house, Hermione pounded on the door but no one answered. Looking around, she realized everything was silent. She cursed once, and stomped the snowy floor like a child throwing a tantrum, finally plopping to the ground allowing the mix of emotions: anger, jealousy, irritation wash over her.

She stood up, took off the snow of her pants and started walking back to the Burrow, when she heard what she thought was Ginny giggling. Hermione searched from the source of the sound, discovering that it was Luna's room at the top of the house.

She opened the Lovegood's door with the Alohomora spell and sneaked through the house to where Luna's bedroom was. She stood in the entrance hidden as she observed inside.

Ginny and Luna were lying on the bed holding each other in a gentle embrace, as they talked animatedly. There was an air of closeness between them that made Hermione's jealousy monster resurface once more.

She wanted to go inside and yell at them. She felt betrayed by Ginny. Her heart beating uncontrollably, prey of an indescribable pain. She felt like if she were relieving Ron's unfaithfulness all over again, but this was worse. Yet she knew that Ginny was not hers and therefore she couldn't do a thing. The jealousy monster was drowned in sadness and as she was rooted to the spot, watching Ginny and Luna's closeness to unfold, she heard the sound of her heart breaking into a million pieces.

Hermione moved from her spot, sneaking once more though the house and to the open towards the Burrow. Each step was hard for her but she kept walking nonetheless and as several tears were flowing through her eyes and cheeks, she promised herself that she would let Ginny be happy for she knew with certainty, that her feelings for her friend where stronger than she had suspected. She now knew that what she felt for her, was love.


	24. True Feelings and Sudden Decisions

_Chapter 24_

_True Feelings and Sudden Decisions._

By the time that Hermione arrived at the Burrow, it was night and the Weasleys and Harry were having dinner. Before entering the house, Hermione composed herself and wiped her eyes in an effort to conceal all the evidence that she had been crying and stepped inside.

"Well, thank heavens you're all right! I was just about to send Ronald after you! Sit, sit. We're just sitting down for dinner," Molly Weasley greeted her.

Hermione didn't say a thing or look at anybody as she made her way to her place at the table. Once Hermione had sat down, Mrs. Weasley placed a plate in front of her gazing at her with worry as she asked, "Oh, dear, you look as if you were crying. Are you all right?"

Hermione paled a bit at the question but composed herself quickly as she said, "I'm fine."

"Are you sure, dear?" Molly Weasley pressed.

"Yes, I'm perfectly fine." Hermione answered smiling, "it must be the candlelight giving you that impression."

Mrs. Weasley didn't buy it as she had seen the sudden paleness in Hermione's features but she didn't wanted to press her further; so she kept herself busy, serving the dinner to the rest of the family.

Nobody paid much attention to the quick exchange between them, but once they had finished talking and Molly was doing something else, Ron turned towards Hermione intending to ask her where she had been. He never had the chance to do so as Harry kicked him in the ankle as a warning.

"Ouch! What was that for?"Ron asked Harry irritably.

Harry leaned towards him and whispered, "This is not the best moment to ask Hermione anything." to which Ron nodded in acknowledgement and rubbed his ankle.

Harry knew that Hermione would tell them what the matter was, when she was ready and not before that, so both of them resumed their eating, chatting from time to time with the rest of the family.

Once the dinner had ended, Hermione told Harry and Ron that she would later catch up with them as she wanted to read a particularly interesting article in the newspaper and readied herself on the couch to do so. As everybody left the room to go to their own bedrooms, Hermione opened the newspaper and pretended to read it. She couldn't take her mind away from Ginny and Luna and what she had seen in the house. As she relived it in Technicolor, the pain started to get worse, and tears were streaming from her eyes. She couldn't take it any longer; she knew that she wasn't going to be able to be near Ginny after what she had seen. She knew from it, that Ginny was happy with Luna, she felt secure. She reprimanded herself, "I can't understand why this is affecting me so much! Ginny's is just my friend!"

_Who am I trying to fool? She is more than a friend for me, I love her. I'm certain of it. But I can't simply tell her how I feel, knowing that she has someone in her life. Not after everything I know, after everything that Dumbledore has confided in me. I have to get out of here! To keep away from her as much as I can... _She closed the newspaper so forcefully that she accidentally made a hole in it. She didn't care about it, so she half folded it and left it there and went upstairs to Ginny's and her shared room and with a wave of her wand she started packing. Once her things were in her luggage, she headed towards Ron's room and bursting through the door, she announced, "I'm going back to Hogwarts!

"What?" astonished, asked Ron.

"But why?" asked Harry equally surprised at her announcement.

"It's the best for everyone..." she said as she started pacing the floor, angrily, "I'm in the way here. Besides, I have a lot of research to do back at the castle."

Ginny had arrived to the house and was climbing the stairs when she heard Hermione's voice, followed by Ron and Harry's shocked comments of what and why. She climbed the remaining stairs and entered Ron's room, seeing Hermione at the entrance with a pair of suitcases, on either side of her. "Whaa..."

When Hermione saw Ginny entering the room, a mix of anger and sadness overtook her.

She wanted to cry but repressed the tears that were threatening to run down her cheeks. She noticed that Ginny was about to ask something but she beat her to it, as she said while gazing at her intensely, showing her angry-sad façade, "I'll be getting out of your way. That will give you loads of time with Luna!" and storming past, she disappeared before anyone could do or say anything about it and leaving everyone with shocked expressions.

Once the shock of Hermione's sudden reaction wore off, Ginny's brain struggled for a couple of seconds to fully understand what Hermione's last words meant. She ran after her but, when she finally reached her, she saw her disappearing down the Weasleys' Floo Network.

Harry and Ron caught up with her in the living room a minute later. Ron looked at his sister and pointed a finger towards her and to where Hermione had been a moment earlier. He was as if about to say something but he didn't. His face was red with anger and his fists were clenched so tight that they had become purple. Harry placed his hand on Ron's shoulder, trying to calm him down but didn't work as Ron shouted, "What on earth did she mean that she will be getting out of your way? What did you do to her?"

"I haven't done anything!" Ginny told them defensively glaring at them.

"If you did something to her Ginny... I swear..." Ron said yelling.

Ginny didn't like the tone her brother had used or the unjustified accusations. She didn't know why Hermione had told her such a thing before disappearing down the Floor Network towards God knew where. She was about to respond to him, matching the same tone and volume that her brother had used when Mrs. Weasley appeared and said looking at both Ron and Ginny, "Can someone please tell me what's going on?"

"Nothing, mom." Ginny said, not meeting her mother's eyes. She tried her best to not let her mother know the anger that she was feeling towards her brother.

Ron looked at Ginny for a few seconds, a mixture of anger and confusion still flashing through his eyes.

Molly gazed at them. She hated to see her kids fighting but the thing that she hated the most was being lied to about the reason for the argument.

Exasperated at their childish behaviour, she asked again giving them the Molly Weasley experienced look that carved holes into both siblings minds, making them feel extremely uncomfortable, "What... Is... Going... On?"

They didn't dare to look up, instead of meeting those burning eyes of her, they decided to look at the floor and remained silent.

"It's nothing, Mrs. Weasley. They had a disagreement but they have worked it out now." Harry answered her, lying to cover up for Ginny and Ron. He then made eye contact with both of them and said, "Right guys?"

"Yes, mom. It's nothing," Ginny said still without looking at her.

"Is that true?" she asked, looking at both of them for confirmation.

"Yes," Ginny said and Ron simply nodded.

Everyone expected Mrs. Weasley to dig a bit further into the reason of the discussion, but instead, she surprised them all by walking away while talking loudly to herself, "Always fighting, always bickering about something these days. Why can't they just get along?"

Molly's strange reaction gave Ginny and opportunity to get away. She rushed past her brother and Harry and walked towards her bedroom. Once inside, she locked it with a powerful spell.

She turned around and her eyes darted towards where Hermione had been lying next to her the previous night. Her feet dragged her automatically towards her side of the bed and she laid down. All the while, her eyes never left the spot where Hermione had been.

Sighing audibly, Ginny pulled her legs up, grabbed her knees with her hands and rested her head on them. Her mind was replaying Hermione's last sentence over and over, "I'll be getting out of your way. That will give you loads of time with Luna!". "What on earth did she mean? Luna and I are just friends," Ginny said and hit the bed. Then, she stood up and started pacing the floor up and down, deep in thought trying to decipher Hermione's words. She had been doing this for over a minute or so when she heard a knock on the door, breaking her train of thought and her pacing. She looked at the door and yelled, "What?"

"Ginny, it's me, Harry."

Ginny went to the door and opened it slightly, "What do you want, Harry?"

Harry, taken aback slightly from Ginny's curtness with him, answered, "I wanted to see if you were all right, Ginny."

Ginny opened the door a bit more and turned to look if Harry was alone or not. Once she saw that her brother was not with him, she opened the door completely to let him in and then closed the door behind them sealing it with the same spell that she had used before and added an imperturbable charm on it.

Ginny and Harry went to Ginny's bed and sat down. They remained in silence a few minutes before Harry spoke shyly, "Did something happen between Hermione and you?"

"What?" Ginny looked at him with shock and then rapidly added, "Nothing happened, Harry. Hermione and I are just friends."

"Ok." said Harry quietly. After a few seconds in silence he said, "Luna and you?"

"No, Harry. Luna and I are just friends, nothing more." Ginny answered honestly.

Harry, deep in thought, looked at her intently for a few minutes, then, he placed his hand on top of Ginny's knee and said, "Gin, you and Ron are very much alike sometimes, you know?" He paused momentarily. He observed Ginny's murderous look but proceeded with what he was saying, as if he hadn't noticed Ginny's gaze, " I have known Hermione for a long time now, and I must say that I know her well enough to tell that she thinks that Luna and you are more than simple friends and that she is jealous. Not in a 'friendly' jealous way, if you know what I mean."

"But..." Ginny said, but Harry shushed her, "Just listen to what I have to say, please."

Ginny nodded in acknowledgement and Harry continued, "Gin, you have to pull out the Gryffindor in you and let her know how you feel. You can't keep avoiding her forever."

Harry looked at her for a few seconds and then hugged her comfortingly. Ginny's temper vanished in that instant. She surrendered to the warmth that her friend was providing and several tears streamed down her cheeks.

Harry gently pulled Ginny to the bed with him while hugging her, giving his friend the comfort that she so desperately needed. When he noticed that her crying had stopped, he turned to look at her, and found that the she had fallen asleep. He didn't move and fell asleep as well for a couple of hours and then woke up suddenly. His mind took him momentarily in a trip of flashes through the past: from when he met Ginny up to the present and all the feelings involved. He smiled briefly as he remembered everything and then, looking at Ginny, smiled at her and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek and whisper to her: "I love you, Gin. You'll always be my sister and my best friend."

He carefully adjusted next to her so that Ginny didn't wake up and fell back asleep.


	25. Coming Out

_Chapter 25_

Coming out

As Ginny stirred in bed the following day, she felt a body pressed against her. Panic overtook her, her eyes opened in a flash, and all traces of sleepiness were gone in an instant. In slow motion, almost as if in a trance, she turned to look to her side to discover who was lying next to her and her heart beat quickly. Once she found out that it was Harry, she sighed and relaxed.

She climbed out of bed as quietly as she could, careful enough not to wake him and went towards the door of her bedroom. She removed the spells that she had cast the night before and sneaked silently out of the room and towards the bathroom.

She splashed some water on her face and, as she looked at her own reflection in the mirror, she thought of the conversation that she had had with Harry the previous night, as well as the ones with Fred, George, and Luna. They all had told her the same thing: it was time for her to tell Hermione about her feelings. The Gryffindor in her had to make its appearance soon. She had postponed her coming out long enough for everybody, but most importantly for her.

Ginny didn't like very much the idea of admitting the fact that Hermione was jealous, because admitting it would mean that she could have hope and therefore she would be risking being hurt. Harry's comment couldn't have been more right: she and Ron were very much alike... they both shared the fear of getting hurt.

Ginny convinced herself that she was going to be different than Ron and would act accordingly: first, by coming out to her parents and then to the rest of the world, including Hermione.

She couldn't help but yawn. She cast a spell to find out what time it was. To her dismay, she found out that it was very early: four o'clock in the morning, so she headed to her room and laid down on the bed. Yawning once more, she closed her eyes and fell asleep.

She was awoken several hours later by a yell. Scared, she opened her sleepy eyes and searched for the source of the yelling. When she found it, she saw that her brother Ron was in the room. His face was contorted in surprise and then changed to anger, his left fist was slightly clenched and his right hand was accusingly pointing towards Harry, "What are you doing here, with my sister? Why were you holding her?"

"Dammit!" Ron yelled once more, but this time it sounded more like a growl. "My own friend... You above all should know that my sister because of her age is off limits, especially for you; mister attract-all-the-trouble in the world!"

Without waiting for an answer he punched Harry in the face.

"Ouch," Harry muttered as he touched his bleeding nose.

Ginny got out of bed instantly and cast a powerful Bat-Bogey hex on Ron accompanied with an Oppugno spell to increase the effects of the bogey hex. She was completely angry with Ron's childish behaviour. After all, Harry and her were still wearing yesterday's clothes and it was clear to anyone that could see them that nothing had happened between them.

The combination of spells that Ginny used made Ron stumble as several bogey-bats attacked his face. He couldn't see anything but the green monsters that were attacking him. He couldn't help but yell for help. He had experienced this particular spell from his sister before, but not as potent as this.

A minute later, a very upset Mrs. Weasley appeared at the door and yelled, "What in the name of Merlin is going on in here?"

The first thing she noticed was her son being attacked by her daughter's favourite spell. She saw that Harry was lying on Ginny's bed with a bleeding nose and Ginny stood up on the opposite side of the bed; her face was scarlet and both her hands were shaking. It looked as if Ginny couldn't see her or didn't want to. Her burning gaze was directed only towards Ron.

Sighing audibly, Molly removed the spell with a wave of her hand and reprimanded her daughter as her eyes blazed, "What is wrong with you, Ginny? Why would you go attacking your brother like that?"

Gazing then to Harry, Mrs. Weasley smiled as she said, "And why is Harry's nose bleeding?" and with another wave of her wand, Harry's nose was as good as new.

She looked at the three of them, waiting for an answer, "Well?"

Seeing that she was not getting any answers, and knowing Ginny fully well, she turned to Ron and asked him, "What did you do to your sister to cause her to do something like this?"

"But Mum! Harry slept with Ginny last night!" Ron, trying to defend himself yelled above the commotion, pointing his finger accusingly at Harry and Ginny.

"What? Oh dear..." Mrs. Weasley exclaimed, surprised for an instant, but after carefully looking once more at Harry and Ginny, knew that there was nothing she should worry about.

"It's not what it looks like, Mrs. Weasley," said Harry, trying to defend Ginny and himself. "Ginny and I..."

"Harry and I spent the night talking and we fell asleep," Ginny finished for Harry.

"I see," said Mrs. Weasley. "Does anybody know where Hermione is? I haven't seen her since yesterday."

The instant that Ginny heard Hermione's name, her anger vanished and was replaced with sadness. "Hermione went back to Hogwarts, mom. Apparently she had some research to do."

Ron looked at her with anger once more, memories of what Hermione had said to Ginny before leaving back to Hogwarts echoed in his mind. "Aren't you going to tell mom what she said to you before leaving, huh?

Mrs. Weasley looked at him curiously and then she looked at her daughter, "What does he mean Ginny?"

"Nothing, mom," Ginny lied.

Before anyone could say anything, a tap on the window was heard. Errol, the family owl was flying outside the window, waiting to be let in.

Molly Weasley, went towards the window and let the bird in. He clumsily landed on Ginny's desk and waited for Mrs. Weasley to take the note that he had tied to his leg. She took the note and read it.

"Bill and Fleur will be arriving after lunch and will be staying over. Guess you'll have to share bedroom with her, Ginny."

_Great! Phlegm is coming..._ Ginny thought sarcastically, _This is just what I needed_. But nonetheless, she smiled to her mom in acknowledgement.

Mrs. Weasley's head filled with the tons of things that she had to prepare before her guests arrived which made her forgot about her kids' fight. She left the room without a word to get the house ready for the Christmas gathering.

Once Molly had disappeared, Harry and Ron looked at each other with blazing eyes. They didn't say a word to one another, while a stunned Ginny stood rooted to the spot.

Looking once more at his sister with resentment, Ron left for his own room, leaving Harry and Ginny alone.

"Ginny, are you okay?" Harry asked, tentatively touching her shoulder trying not to startle her. Ginny looked at him and nodded in acknowledgement.

"I'm sorry, Harry. I never meant for this to happen," she told him apologetically.

"Don't worry about it, Gin," said Harry as he hugged her. "It will be all right. You'll see."

They left the room together to get breakfast. When they arrived, everyone except Ron was sitting at the table and they were enjoying their meals. stood up from her seat and welcomed them. She levitated two plates with bacon, toast, and scrambled eggs and two glasses of fresh orange juice that landed in front of Harry and Ginny.

Mrs. Weasley finished her breakfast first and started her preparations for the family dinner. With several flicks of her expert hand, knives, cutting boards, pans and pots flew through the kitchen and set themselves on the empty counter. Carrots and celery flew towards the cutting boards where the knives awaited them to chop them into little pieces. As soon as the butter touched the pans, the magic flames of the stove turned to life and the vegetable squares flew towards the buttered pans. Then, several pieces of meat joined the vegetables as well as some homemade Yorkshire sauce and other sauces. Finally, beef stock was added creating a wonderful stew that filled the kitchen and the house with a delicious smell that invaded and conquered every nose that could smell it.

After trying to get a taste of Molly's stew and getting a slap on their hands for their daring in return, everyone left the kitchen to persue their own activities while Mrs. Weasley continued with her cooking for the family dinner later on.

Ginny went back towards her room after saying goodbye to Harry who had gone with Ron to play some Quidditch, hoping that this would help him to smooth Ron's mood. She entered the room and went towards her desk, where she got a sheet of parchment, quill, and ink and then she sat down in the chair.

She could see the garden out her window, her eyes wandered in the snowy horizon. She spotted a garden gnome in the yard messing with her mom's vegetables. She shook her head and thought, "If mom sees it... she'll kill him for sure."

Ginny submerged the quill in the ink slightly and placed the feather between her lips while thinking what should she write and how. This was a no ordinary letter, this one was for Hermione: a letter in which she would beg her to join her and her family at Christmas dinner. She would also try to explain to her that Luna and she were nothing more than friends.

The problem was that in order for her to explain that to Hermione, she would have to tell her that she was gay. Wouldn't it be better if she told her parents first?

She decided that it was the best course of action, so she left the quill on top of the parchment and headed towards the kitchen where her mother was.

"Mom," Ginny called her mother.

Mrs. Weasley turned to look at her daughter and said, "Yes, dear?"

"Do you know where dad is?"

"I believe that he had to go to the Ministry, but he should be here any minute now, dear."

And effectively, a minute later, a green flame erupted from the fireplace and Mr. Weasley emerged from it. He tossed the ashes from his clothes and step into his home. Sniffing the wonderful aroma that came from the kitchen, his nose made him follow it to the smell.

"Hello, darling," he said and gave a quick peck on the lips to his wife and then said hello to his daughter. "Hello again, my little girl..."

"Hello dad," Ginny said, smiling.

"What are you preparing for tonight, honey?"

"Oh, I'm preparing tons of Weasley's beef stew."

"Smells wonderful," he said smiling and gave her another kiss.

"Ehmm, mom, dad..." said Ginny a bit sorry for interrupting them, but what she needed to tell them was priority and couldn't wait.

"What is it, Ginny, dear?" Molly said while looking at her daughter worriedly, as she just noticed that there was something strange with Ginny's behaviour. "Are you feeling well?"

Arthur Weasley, looked at his daughter with the same worried expression but limited himself to leave all questioning to Molly.

"I'm all right. It's well, ah... There's something I need to talk to you about..."

"How about if we go to the living room, honey... We would be more comfortable there..." said Mr. Weasley, seeing the seriousness in his daughter's eyes. He knew that what Ginny needed to talk to them about was probably important as she had never called them to talk about something just because.

Once everyone were sitting, Ginny looked at both of them, and sighing audibly she pronounced the words that she thought would kill or let live... words that would change everything once spoken: "Mom, dad... I'm gay."


	26. Favour

_Chapter 26_

Favour

The silence in the room was extremely intense, so heavy and thick that it was possible to hear the sound of a fly flying through the room and finally stopping to stand on top of a vase near the window. No one spoke for a while; both Mr. and Mrs. Weasley stood motionless, rooted to their seats, shocked at their daughter's admission while Ginny sat uncomfortably on her seat as tiny drops of sweat poured down her head.

As Ginny's last words started to sink in, the Weasley's matriarch suddenly blew up as if a pound of C4 had been detonated in the room, "Ginny, you WHAT?"

Mr. Weasley put his hand on his wife's shoulder urging her to calm down and said to his wife, "Molly, dear, I think that we need to give Ginny the chance to explain a bit further."

Mrs. Weasley, looked uncertain at her husband for a brief moment before nodding briefly.

Once her mother and father were looking at her, waiting for her to continue, Ginny told them how she had found out that she liked girls and how confused she had been for most of the year, until all her doubts had been cleared out, omitting in the process the parts that contained too much information about her feelings towards Hermione.

Sensing that her daughter had not told the whole truth but part of it and that, somehow, she had had something to do with Hermione's sudden departure, Molly asked, "Ginny, does Hermione's departure had anything to do with you?

"Yes, mom. It has." Ginny answered ashamed.

"Ginny, dear..." Molly said, looking intently at Ginny with sudden calmness, "Do the girl that you fancy happen to be Hermione?"

Ginny's face was now drenched in sweat as she knew full well that her mother had seen past what she had told them. Answering this particular question would openly expose her feelings. She gauged the consequences of it but knew that there was no escape from it, so swallowing saliva, she said, "Yeah."

Suddenly a clash followed by the sound of a thousand little pieces of glass was heard, drawing everyone's attention instantly to it.

Ron had just gotten a glass of water and was on his way to his room when he heard the shocking news from his sister. His body froze completely and his hand dropped the glass of water that he was holding.

Ginny liked girls. Was this real? or was it perhaps something that his mind had created in a moment of insanity, something to explain his sister' strange behaviour through the school semester.

He shook his head to erase the absurd thought from his mind and, as he did so, he realised for the first time, with horror that he was standing in the centre of the room and that every face in it was directed towards him, wondering what he was doing there. He didn't know what to do or how to react to either situation. The mere thought of that happening was something that he could not comprehend. After all, he had seen his sister with several blokes before that this was irrational and not a thought that he wanted to picture.

A minute passed before the shock subsided and was replaced with pure anger towards his sister because, somehow, what Hermione had said to Ginny before leaving abruptly to Hogwarts, now made sense.

"So, you now like girls, huh?" Ron said, pointing an accusing finger towards Ginny who now, for him, was a completely different person.

Ginny, surprised, didn't answer him for a few seconds and before she could say anything, he yelled, "Well, I don't care as long as you don't get near someone I like and care about, and for that matter, Hermione is! So I'm warning you... Stay the HELL AWAY FROM HER!"

Ginny gave his brother a murdering look.

"RONALD WEASLEY!" Mrs. Weasley yelled at his son, "Don't you dare treat your sister like that! The fact that she is gay doesn't give you any right to treat her badly!"

"But, Mom!" replied Ron.

"No, buts! "We are a family, and we are going to love and support each other no matter what the circumstances. You hear me?" Mrs. Weasley said, and gave Ron one of her characteristic looks, that left no room for arguments as she said, "Go to your room, and stay there! You're grounded!"

"Yes, Mom." replied, Ron deflated and started heading to his room as his mother had instructed but was momentarily interrupted as Molly said, "One more thing, you'll be cleaning the house as punishment for you behaviour until I say so."

An extremely angry and unhappy Ron, balled up his fist and went even more red in the face, finally hissing, "Fine!" before glaring once last time at Ginny and once he turned his back on, his face contorted, mocking his mother and stomped off to his room.

The sound of bouncing tiny crystals of broken glass made Ginny aware of her brother's presence in the room. She looked at him for a minute, wondering what he was doing there and then she noticed his shocked expression.

That moment, she knew that he had heard what she had said to her parents and was considering what to say to him, when an angry Ron with blazing eyes, focused on her and pointing a finger towards her, said as coldly as ice, "So, you now like girls, huh?"

Ginny looked at him surprised, she didn't recognize her brother at all in this reaction; she never expected to see a stranger in his eyes. Her vocal cords constricted, and her mouth dried for a few seconds and then she cleared her throat and was starting to answer him, but Ron beat her and said, "Well, I don't care as long as you don't get near someone I like or care about, and for that matter, Hermione is!. So I'm warning you... Stay the HELL AWAY FROM HER!"

In that instant, Ginny stood up from her seat, her hands were clenched tight at her sides and her face was turning a crimson colour. She was ready to beat the hell out of Ron, for what he had just said, and also for being a total jerk with Hermione and being unfaithful to her but her mother prevented it by severely reprimanding Ron.

Ginny was grateful and relieved at her mother's positive reaction to the news that she had given her, as in all the times that she had thought and dreamed about this particular scene, she was kicked out of the house or being forced to marry Harry or some other bloke to finally see herself running away from everyone and as far as she could from everything.

"Ginny, dear... are you ok?"Molly asked her daughter, after she noticed that Ginny was pensive.

Ginny said, "I'm ok, Mom. Thanks for supporting me."

Looking at Ginny in the eye, Molly said, "That's what moms are for, Ginny. But don't get me wrong... you being gay is something that I can't comprehend. You'll have to give me a little time to get used to the idea that my daughter is gay. All right?"

"Yes, mom." Ginny answered while nodding.

"Now, I want you to do me a favour... I want you to go to Hogwarts to find Hermione to invite her to the Christmas dinner. If she refuses, you're to tell her that I will not take no for an answer, ok?"


	27. Surprising Announcements

Chapter 27

Surprising Announcements

After saying goodbye to her parents and promising to be back later on for Christmas

dinner, Ginny went to the family fireplace, and taking a bit of floo powder in her hand, threw it into the hearth while saying very clearly, "Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."

Green flames erupted and engulfed her in seconds that transported her through the floo network to her destination.

Uncharacteristically, she landed on the floor of one of the rooms in the castle, covered in ashes. She felt angry with herself for not paying more attention to where she was going since while she was travelling, she had let her mind wander once more to Hermione. She shook the cinders out of her clothes and hair, scolding herself about being more focused on what she was doing. She was so absorbed on her task that she didn't hear Professor McGonagall entering the room and calling after her.

McGonagall who was looking intently at Ginny through her glasses repeated louder, "Good afternoon, Miss Weasley." making Ginny jump in the process.

"Morning, Professor," answered Ginny as she stood up from the floor and readied to be lectured.

"What brings you to Hogwarts on Christmas evening? Shouldn't you be with your family?" Professor McGonagall enquired.

"I'm coming on mom's request. She sent me to invite Hermione to the family Christmas dinner. Do you by any chance, know where can I find her?"

"I saw Miss Granger in the Gryffindor common room not long ago. You should try there first, and then, perhaps the Library?" Professor McGonagall answered patiently.

"Thanks, Professor," Ginny said and not waiting for an answer she headed towards her common room.

She reached the Fat Lady's portrait and was greeted with a strange sight: the scenery of the portrait was a blooming summer one and there was a very cheerful lady who was picking flowers. She had a white fluffy dress, her hair was curly and loose and she wore a tiara that appeared to be made of white flowers that appeared to be the same ones that she was selecting from her surroundings.

Ginny looked quizzically at this scene, wondering if perhaps, the Fat Lady had gone mad. Nonetheless, she loudly cleared her throat to let the portrait know that she was there as Ginny needed to get past her to check if Hermione was inside.

When the Fat Lady heard the guttural sound, she turned to look where it had come from, and seeing Ginny standing there, she greeted her and asked her for the password.

Ginny froze... In her rush to see Hermione, she had forgotten to ask Professor McGonagall about the common room password. She thought about what to do, whether to go and ask her about it, or trying to go to the Library hoping that that Hermione would be there. She wasn't able to set her mind to a decision as she saw Professor Dumbledore walking towards her from the corner of the hallway.

"Good afternoon, Miss Weasley," Dumbledore said, once he had reached where Ginny was.

"Good afternoon, Professor," Ginny answered politely, surprised to see the headmaster.

"I received an owl from your mother, informing me that you would be arriving at the castle to invite Miss Granger to Christmas dinner. She was gracious enough to invite me, but I'm afraid I had to decline for I have important business at the Ministry," he said while looking at Ginny through his half moon spectacles. "Miss Granger is in the library, in case you were wondering."

"Thanks, Professor," she said, and started to leave, when Dumbledore added, "Before you go, I'd like you to do me a favour, please tell Mr. Potter, when you're back home, that I'd like to see him tomorrow morning here, for our lesson."

Ginny said to Dumbledore "Yes, sir," and left towards where the headmaster had said Hermione would be.

Hermione was nowhere to be found when Ginny reached the library, so she went to the back, where the Restricted Section was located, immediately spotting her in a remote corner of the room. She was reading a heavy and big volume, and she had her characteristic look of concentration.

Ginny couldn't take her eyes away from her, marvelling once more at the beautiful features shown before her. She wanted to reach and touch Hermione, but she resisted the urge to it once she was close enough to her. Instead smiling timidly, she said, "Hello, Hermione."

Hermione was so absorbed on her reading that when Ginny's voice reached her, it made her jump slightly on her seat. She didn't expect to see another soul in there and Ginny Weasley was by far the last person that she wanted to see. She composed herself quickly, and said a curt, "Hello"

The curtness in Hermione's voice pierced Ginny's heart like an ice. She did her best not to let her know how much she had been affected by it, so instead, she said, "What are you reading?"

"None of your business," Hermione told her in a cooler tone than before and shut down the book in front of her. "What are you doing here if I may ask?"

Ginny, feeling awkward, answered her, "I... ah... I'm sorry for bothering you. I came because mom sent me to invite you to the Christmas dinner."

"Please tell her, that I won't be able to go," Hermione said, not betraying any emotion.

Ginny, a bit more confident, said, "She said that you would probably say that, and if you did, that I should tell you that she doesn't accept no for an answer."

"I guess I don't have a choice, do I?" Hermione said while looking at Ginny harshly, "Is that the only reason why you came over here? You could have just sent me an owl."

Ginny swallowed saliva and then said, "No, that's not the only reason, Hermione."

As Hermione was about to say something, Ginny beat her to it and said, "Hermione, listen... I know that I have been avoiding you, Harry, and Ron for the past year and I'm really sorry. I should have confided in you before, and tell you... that I'm gay.

"No kidding!" Hermione said and then suddenly added, "Rumours had been flying all over Hogwarts that you were gay, plus you happened to prefer to spend loads of time with them instead of me.

Hermione suddenly become pensive. Looking at an empty space in the desk she said quietly but still hear able, "There's Luna for instance..."

Ginny tentatively got closer to Hermione and rested her hand on Hermione's shoulder as she said, "Hermione, please look at me."

Hermione didn't do anything to remove her hand from the top of her shoulder nor to raise her eyes, so Ginny sighed audibly and then she started pouring her heart out to the woman she loved for better or for worse.

Ginny started, her voice shaking a bit, "Since that day that you left for Hogwarts, I have been thinking about what you said over and over and I came to the conclusion that I should be honest with you..." and then continued, "Hermione, I want you to know that there is nothing going on between Luna and I. She is only my friend and I care for her only in that way.

I know that you have seen me with lots of girls but believe me when I tell you that they are nothing compared to the true object of my affections." Then she paused a bit and said, "My soul, heart, and body, my whole being belongs to someone else... someone who is intelligent, caring, loving, who has always been there for me even in dark times. She has always been able to convert my darkness into light. When she is in a room, everything around her seems to cover with her light, yet she doesn't know it," she paused once more, and then as her heart was pounding uncontrollably in her chest she said, "She doesn't know that she is my angel, brought from heaven to enlighten my journey. She is all and more. She is my pathway to happiness or damnation... If she rejects me tonight, I don't know what I would do... Yet, here I am, pouring my heart to the woman I love, and that woman, Hermione, is you."

Hermione, shocked by what she just heard, raised her eyes to Ginny's and yelled, "What?"

This unexpected reaction from Hermione made Ginny's heart to start pounding exceedingly fast in her chest and several drops of sweat started to form on her forehead. She started to feel extremely cold and suddenly, everything around her was spinning, and she felt extremely sick...

Hermione caught Ginny just in time before she fell. She took her to the nearest chair and helped her to sit down. She saw that Ginny was sweating profusely and started to worry. Her immediate reaction was to conjure a blanket to cover her. Then, grabbing a chair, she sat down next to her while she hugged her to keep her warm.

Her mind was working at hyper speed and her heart was a complete mess. She didn't know what to do or how to react to what Ginny had said, because not long ago, she had gotten an owl from Ron, telling her that he still loved her, missed her very much, and wanted her to become his girlfriend once more.

One part of her wanted to reach out and kiss Ginny madly and confess her that she loved her too, while the other couldn't do a single thing for she had said yes to Ron and didn't want to hurt Ginny.

Hermione, still worried, asked, "Are you feeling better, Ginny?"

"I'm okay, Hermione," Ginny said and tried to stand up, but failed miserably.

"You're a terrible liar, you know? I need to take you home," she said. Then, offering her arm to Ginny she helped her stand.

After Ginny reluctantly took Hermione's arm, they headed towards Professor McGonagall's office where Hermione told the Headmistress that she was taking Ginny home because she felt sick and they took the floo network to the Weasley's home.

When they reached Ginny's home and stepped outside the fireplace, they saw that the Christmas decorations were all set and that Bill and Fleur had arrived, for they were chatting with George and Fred in the living room while Mrs. Weasley was on the kitchen serving the drinks.

A second passed and Mrs. Weasley turned to look at the fire place, and upon seeing a livid Ginny, worry made her go towards Hermione and her daughter and ask aloud, "Good gracious! What happened? Ginny, are you all right?"

When the Weasley's heard that something happened to Ginny, they rushed towards her.

Ginny turned to look at everybody. She smiled weakly and said, "I'm fine. There's no need for you to worry." and stood up without Hermione's aid. Immediately, Fred and George set her aside to ask her about her recent coming out to her parents and Hermione, while Bill and Mr. Weasley went to the living room, along with Fleur to talk about Ministry issues.

Mrs. Weasley took this opportunity to talk to Hermione alone and ask her about her daughter.

Hermione said, "She started feeling sick suddenly..." but was interrupted by Ron who appeared and said, "Excuse me," and then heading towards Hermione, took her hand in his and once everyone in the room was paying attention, said: "There's something that we want to announce... Hermione and I are back together."


	28. Christmas Dinner

Chapter 28

Christmas Dinner

Fred and George turned to look at their little sister afraid of her reaction, but Ginny Weasley, didn't scream nor cry in front of everyone, especially in front of the woman who she had poured her heart out to and who had made it fall to pieces. She was screaming on the inside, unable to believe what she was hearing, but she didn't let it show. She hid every emotion behind a calm façade.

She put the auto-pilot on and, smiling, went to congratulate her brother and Hermione acting as if nothing had happened, to everyone's surprise.

The drinks were all served and everyone gathered in front of the fire place to talk for a bit while the meal was being prepared. Mrs. Weasley turned the radio on and once she found the traditional Christmas broadcast, she headed to the kitchen to set the table.

Thirty minutes later, Mrs. Weasley called them to the table which by now was all set with an assortment of food. In the centre was a carved roasted turkey filled with sage, onions and chestnut that gave the bird a fantastic aroma. Next to it, were bacon wrapped chipolatas accompanied by boiled brussel sprouts, parsnips, and roasted potatoes. There were also three sauces to choose from: cranberry, bread and gravy. The desserts were Christmas pudding with raisins, nuts and cherries served with Bandy sauce, and chocolate cake and mince pies filled with fresh fruit that were waiting their turn to be served in the kitchen.

Everyone except Ginny ate with pleasure and revelled the moment. She laughed at the jokes and talked to everyone but on the inside, she was crying her heart out.

She kept the charade as much as she could but when she saw her brother kissing Hermione on the lips and Hermione seemingly enjoying it, she couldn't stand it anymore and, excusing herself from the table, she went to her secret spot where she finally let her feelings flow.

Hermione, who had seen Ginny leave, started to worry for her, she yearned to go after her, comfort her and tell her that choosing Ron over her had been a mistake. Yet she couldn't. She told herself that what she had done had been necessary for Ginny's sake. The darkness was getting closer with each passing day and she couldn't allow Ginny to get involved for she knew with certainty that if she and Ginny would get together, Ginny would follow her to hell itself just to be by her side.

As she was thinking about it, the alarms against dark wizards started sounding and a minute later, there was the sound of seizing fire and screams. A mix of confusion, fear and adrenaline coursed through everyone at the house.

The older wizards rushed outside to find Bellatrix Lestrange and a pair of Death Eaters whose purpose was destructing the family to get a hold on Harry without them knowing it. They were setting on fire whatever they could find in their way. They were laughing hysterically and enjoying the moment.

When they saw the Weasleys coming out of the house, they cast some nasty spells towards them, missing them by mere inches. Several curses passed Molly, Arthur and the twins while they counter cursed with potent spells although none of them hit their targets.

Inside the house, one of the Death Eaters had gotten in and looked for Harry. He sneaked through the burning house, searching in every room. When he entered Ron's room he saw that Harry was in there, looking at him fiercely. He entered the room, pointing his wand at him but he missed to see Hermione standing behind the door and sending a powerful spell towards him, knocking him cold.

Once the Dead Eater was out of the picture, Ron, Harry and Hermione, ran outside to help the others and joined the fight. Hermione wondered where Ginny was, she couldn't bear the thought of her being hurt so she told Harry that she would go looking for her. She didn't have time to go finding Ginny as that precise moment Bellatrix aimed her wand and cast the cruciatus curse at Ron who ducked just in time, thanks to the aid of Hermione who pulled him down.

To everyone's surprise, Ginny appeared behind the Death Eaters and shot a spell towards one of them, stunning him. A very surprised Bellatrix turned towards Ginny and tried to hit her with the killing course but missed. When she saw that she was alone and that the other death eaters were lying on the floor, she looked at everyone with a manic smile and disapparated.

The news of the attack to the Weasleys reached Dumbledore a few minutes after the altercation had ended. He sent an owl to them asking to send Ginny, Harry, Ron and Hermione to the castle immediately as they would be safer there.

The moment they arrived, they were greeted by Professor McGonagall, who frowned with preoccupation, "I have just heard from Professor Dumbledore about the attack to your home. I can assure you, that you're now safe at the castle." then, pausing for a bit, she added, "I bet you're all starving! You just made it in time for dinner. Please leave your things here with me and they will be taken to your dormitories."

They left for the Great Hall and sat on their usual places. The food appeared in front of them but none of them gave any indication that they were going to move. Ron looked at his plate, and the instinct for food won over, making him devour it. The rest of them looked at him with slight disgust but they didn't say a thing.

A few minutes later, McGonagall showed up in the room and told Harry that the Headmaster wanted to see him immediately. He stood up and headed to meet him, leaving Hermione, Ginny and Ron behind.

When Harry arrived at the office of the Headmaster, the lights were dimly lit, the portraits of the previous headmasters were snoring softly on the walls and the pensive was on the centre of the room lit by a floating candle that accentuated its silvery content. Dumbledore stood on one of the sides of the pensive, his hands were placed at either side of the cup and he was looking intently at its contents. His right hand was still burned and wrinkled and had a pronounced charcoal colour. It looked worst than ever, and Harry wondered once more what had caused it but refrained the impulse of asking.

"Harry, I'm terribly sorry to hear about what happened at the Burrow, but I'm also relieved that everyone is safe." Then he lowered a bit his glasses and said, "I call you tonight because there are some important memories that I want to show you."

"We are today visiting a memory I collected from Morfin, Marlvolo's son. They were the only relatives to Riddle when his mother died. When he was at Hogwarts, he got obsessed with finding his family, but when he couldn't find any records of his father and got convinced that he had never set a foot on Hogwarts, he dropped his father's Muggle name. It was then that he adopted the name of Lord Voldermort and started searching for her mother's bloodline. He discovered from the people at the orphanage that his mother's fathers name had been Marvolo. So in the summer of his sixteenth birthday, he left the orphanage to look for him.

"Are you ready?" he said and lifted his hand, waiting for Harry to take it.

"Yes, sir," Harry answered and taking the Headmaster's hand, they dived into the first memory that Dumbledore was going to show him that night.

When they came back to the present, Dumbledore went to his chair and before sitting down, he motioned Harry to take a seat.

"Is that it?" asked, Harry. "Why did everything went dark all of a sudden?"

Dumbledore explained patiently, "Because Morfin couldn't remember anything beyond that, Harry. When he woke up the following morning, there was no sign of Riddle and his father ring was gone."

"Meanwhile, in the village of Little Hangleton, the Riddle's maid was running through the streets, yelling that her employer, along with his father and mother had been murdered."

"The Muggle authorities never knew what really happened, because the Avada Kedavra curse doesn't usually leave any known trace. There's only one exception that I know of, and is standing in front of me," Dumbledore said and aiming towards him, he pointed at his scar. "In contrast to the clueless Muggle authorities, the Ministry of Magic knew that the murder of the Riddles had been committed by a wizard and that a well known Muggle hater, named Morfin, lived nearby. So they called him in for questioning and he admitted murdering them and gave all the details. Details only the murderer could have known. He didn't even put a fight when he was sent to Azkaban."

"The last weeks before he died, I went to visit him because I was trying to discover as much as I could about Voldermort's past. I had to use Legilimency on him and with great difficulty I was able to extract this memory. When I saw its contents, I used it to convince the Ministry to release him, but Morfin died before justice could have been done to him."

"Sir…" Harry was interrupted by Dumbledore who said, "Harry, I know that you have many questions to ask, but I need to show you one more memory and this is the most important. Please pay attention to every detail."

"Now, if you please…" he said and motioned Harry to bend like him towards the slightly congealed substance.

When they came back, Dubledore said, "As you might have noticed, Harry, the memory we saw, has been altered. I want to ask you, to get the original memory from Professor Slughorn. I believe that he has concealed it because he feels guilty. You, my dear Harry, although you don't know it, are the only one who could be able to obtain it. "

"Yes, sir," Harry said and started heading towards the door when Dumbledore interrupted him, "Harry, there's one more thing…"

Harry turned towards him and waited for the Headmaster to speak.

"Tomorrow morning, there will be a surprise for Hermione, Ron, Ginny and you waiting at the Great Hall. Rest well tonight, for you will need it tomorrow. And now, Harry, Good night."

"Good night, sir," Harry said a little taken aback by Dumbledore's abrupt dismissal. He got up and let the room quickly.


	29. Slughorn Memory Part 1

Chapter 29

Slughorn's Memory part 1

While Harry was in Dumbledore's office, the tension at the table where Hermione, Ginny and Ron sat was extremely heavy. Ron couldn't prevent his hand from resting on Hermione's lap after finishing with his breakfast.

Ginny who was looking intently at them, couldn't stand it much longer as her feelings towards them weren't precisely friendly, so she decided to leave them with the excuse that she was extremely tired and that she was going to bed.

She headed towards her dorm and halfway there, Professor McGonagall appeared to inform her that her things had been placed in the Sixth years' Girl Dormitories for the duration of the holidays for her safety and that she would be able to move to her dorm afterwards.

This news had a terrible effect on Ginny. As if in a trance, she thanked the Head House Mistress and went to her new room, a shared room with Hermione. It was only after she had entered the room and closed the door behind her, that the realisation of everything that happened until now hit her hard.

For the first time, after so many times when she had wished to be near Hermione, she didn't want to stay nor could she bear to be in the same room as her. Hermione was still the love of her life but she was with Ron, her bloody brother Ron, who had stolen the only woman she had ever loved from her. She was so pissed with Ron that she could barely stand it; she wanted to punch him as if he were a useless bag of potatoes.

Her eyes were filled with tears, her face was red as a tomato and her fists were balled up so tight that were turning purple. Crying loudly, she let herself fall to the floor on her knees and cried there for what seemed hours to her.

Hermione had said good night to Ron and was arriving to her dorm door when she heard Ginny crying from behind the door. Her heart beat speeded just thinking that Ginny was there, she knew that something was wrong with Ginny, so she entered the room, and the sight left her speechless. She couldn't stand to see Ginny crying, and her instinct took over, making her run towards the crying girl and holding her to comfort her. When Ginny realized who was holding her, she resisted a bit, finally surrendering to Hermione's warmness.

Hermione kissed Ginny on the top of her head, smelling in the process Ginny's citric shampoo, a mix of lemon and grass. The closeness to Ginny, her smell, everything about her was making Hermione crazy…

The feelings that she had for her were emerging and she couldn't control herself any longer. Gently, she took Ginny's face in her hands. In that instance, their eyes locked and Hermione painfully and slowly, moved towards Ginny and kissed her tenderly on the lips. Hermione felt as if her heart would pour out of her chest, the feeling of Ginny's soft lips against her own were a lethal but sweet drug. She wanted more, she needed more and she prayed silently to every god that Ginny would return the kiss.

As if hearing her, Ginny kissed her back, but she wasn't satisfied with simply placing her lips against Hermione's. She deepened the kiss, pouring in it her heart and soul. Their hearts were speaking for them, neither wanting to release the other for they knew in their subconscious that they would be separated again by real life.

The need for air was much heavier than their desire and made them separate. Breathing heavily, they looked at one another as if for the first time. Ginny, entranced by Hermione's beauty and what she had made her feel, felt compelled to get close to Hermione, inch by inch closer to her lips. She kissed Hermione once more but the kiss didn't last long as Hermione pulled away.

Hermione's mind, momentarily relaxed and soothed by the kiss...sped up. Her body and heart longed to continue kissing Ginny and to touch her skin. She wanted it so much, yet her rational mind told her that this wasn't right, that this wasn't the time to take matters further. Her heart told her otherwise though; it urged her to give Ginny the love she felt.

Yet mind ruled over heart, and Hermione reprimanded herself silently. She whispered, "I'm sorry, Gin… I can't."

With renewed tears on her eyes, Ginny asked Hermione, "Why?"

"Because this is not right, Ginny. I'm with Ron," Hermione answered, her cool face in place.

Ginny's heart was breaking once again into million pieces, and her aching heart made all the talking that was needed, "Why did you have to chose him, Hermione? Have you forgotten the Christmas party? Oh right, you don't remember it. Let me refresh your memory…"

"You came to me that night, complaining to me about spending my time with lots of girls, other than you, and then, you pinched me to the wall and kissed me on the lips and proclaimed your love for me to the Hogwarts' walls. You said you loved me Hermione… and right now, you said it, not with words; your body said it to me… Why? Why to choose my brother over me instead of saying what you well know you feel for me?"

"Ginny… please, stop. I can't…" Hermione said, she paused momentarily, several tears threatening to come out of her eyes. She ran towards the door, opened it and shut it very fast. Then, she stood there and let her tears flow, allowing her sadness to show. On the other side of the door, Ginny stood, broken hearted once more by the woman she loved.

Still crying, Hermione went to the Library to distract herself from what happened. She took down a random book and set it on the table and started reading but her aching heart didn't allow her to concentrate on the text before her. Instead, her mind was conjuring images of kissing Ginny, and those fateful words resonating like an echo.

Harry appeared in that moment and seeing Hermione crying went towards her and rested his hand on Hermione's shoulder.

Hermione turned and saw Harry, "Oh, It's you," she said, drying some of her tears.

"Is everything ok between Ron and you? Should I go and kill him?" Harry asked.

Hermione said seriously, "Things with Ron are fine, Harry. I really don't want to talk about it right now." Changing the subject, she added, "How was your lesson with Dumbledore?"

"My lesson with him was all right. This time, he not only showed me a couple of memories but asked me to get him a memory from Slughorn." Harry said, and told her everything that he had seen and heard, recalling in even the smallest details.

"Horcruxes you say? I've never heard of them."

"You haven't?" Harry asked her a bit disappointed that her best friend, known to know everything didn't know this and therefore couldn't give him a hint as to the meaning of Horcruxes.

"My guess is that is probably a spell of some sort, very advanced and dark magic. That's the only reason I can think of for Voldemort wanting to know about it. It is indeed a very important memory and so it will be hard for you to get it from Slughorn, Harry. You should be very cautious and plan your approach to the matter carefully," Hermione advised Harry before heading to their dormitories.

Hermione crossed the girl dormitories door after saying good night to Harry, closed the door and stood motionless for a couple of seconds. When she moved, she headed towards Ginny and her shared room and stood frozen for a few more seconds, thinking about what she could expect to find inside. Then, sighing audibly to try and summon bravery, she stepped inside.

When she entered the room everything was dark and quiet. Ginny's bed curtains were drawn and apparently she was sleeping, so Hermione headed to her bed, removed her clothing, put the pyjamas on and got in bed, falling asleep instantly.

The next morning, Hermione woke up at 8:00 am with a jolt. Tears rested in her eyes from the nightmare; Ginny had been murdered by a Death Eater in front of her. She looked around, her eyes diverted towards Ginny's bed.

Crepting out of bed, she made her way towards Ginny, opened the drapes from one side, slowly and carefully to not wake Ginny just in case. She looked inside and saw her sleeping peacefully. Her face didn't show any sign of her crying from the previous night. Hermione couldn't help look at the woman she loved: She looked so beautiful with her hair loose like that; her pearled skin, full with freckles, the marvellous features of her nose, her lips…

Hermione's gaze fixed on Ginny's lips… remembering how good they had felt against her own, the warmness that they had provided. This image was so vivid on her mind that made her became aroused. Her blood was boiling inside, and she started feeling things that she had only experienced when she had been in bed, thinking of Ginny.

She shook the thought off her mind by shaking her head vigorously from side to side. Silently closed the drape and went to the bathroom to take a much needed cold shower. Then, she head back to retrieve her clothes for the day, got dressed and went to get breakfast.

When she entered the Great Hall, she saw that most of the tables were set aside and in the centre were some golden hoops that caught her attention momentarily. She sat down on the table next to Ron and Harry who were already on the table and were enjoying their food.

"What are those huge gold hoops for?" Hermione asked.

"We don't have a clue, Hermione, we thought that you might have an answer for that." answered Harry.

A few minutes later, McGonagall and Dumbledore appeared on the Great Hall. They said good morning and then the Gryffindor Head Mistress asked where Ginny was. When she was informed that she was still sleeping, Professor McGonagall told them that they would be getting special apparition lessons before the term started and asked them to join Professor Dumbledore who was waiting for them in front of the hoops that Hermione had seen when entering the room. After sending a message to Ginny asking her to join the apparition lesson, Hermione joined Dumbledore and the others.

A few minutes later, Ginny showed up. Her hair was tied into a ponytail and her clothes gave sign that she had put them on in a hurry. She said morning to everyone, avoiding Hermione's eyes and focused in the lesson.

Once the lesson was over, Ginny disappeared quickly from sight. She needed to be alone; she couldn't stand near Hermione. She needed to heal her heart and wanted something to erase how she felt. She thought of a potion she could brew to help her ease her pain and she headed towards the Library. Once there, she started researching.

Meanwhile, Harry, Hermione and Ron remained in the Great Hall, when they acknowledged that Ginny was missing, the boys didn't do much but shrug and sat down in one of the tables. Hermione gave a sigh before joining the boys and they started discussing what they could do to get the memory from Slughorn.

Suddenly, Ron's brain gave a sparkle of light and said, "You just need some luck, Harry."

"Luck! That's it, Ron… You're a genius! I don't know why I hadn't thought of that." said Hermione. Ron blushed madly at her comment.

"What do you mean?" asked Harry looking at both of them with questioning eyes.

"Use the lucky potion that Slughorn gave you, Harry. It's the only way." Hermione instructed Harry.

"I was sort of saving Felix Felicis for a special occasion, but you're right. This might be the only way to get that information from Slughorn," said Harry thoughtfully.

In that instant, an owl entered the Great Hall, flew towards them and released a letter in Harry's hands.

The parchment looked very old and was corrugated. The rope appeared to be some sort of lace which had some fibres pulling out from it. Harry untied the knot, opening the letter to find an unintelligible handwriting stained with tears all over. He recognized the writing as Hagrid's:

_Dear Harry, Hermione an' Ron,_

_Aragog the spider died last night. It would mean a lot to me if yeh'd nip down fer the burial. I'm plannin' on burin him next to the pumpkin patch round twilight. Wouldn't ask, but I can't face it alone. _

_Hagrid_

"Aragog is dead and he wants us to attend the burial," said Harry to Hermione and Ron as he gave the letter to Hermione.

"For heaven's sake, Hagrid and his pets," said Hermione exasperated. Her mind was wondering for the umpteenth time to where Ginny was and what she was doing. She passed the letter to Ron dismissively.

"No, No, No," said Ron while shaking his head vehemently from one side to the other, "I'm not going. That spider told its kind to eat Harry and me! If Hagrid expects us to go and cry over that…. hairy… thing, he is mental!

Harry took the note back from Ron, looking once more at the scattered tears on the parchment, his heart sinking at the thought of seeing Hagrid so sad.

"You're not thinking of going, Harry. Are you?" asked Hermione

Looking at a dubious Harry, Hermione said, "You can't go, Harry. You have to get the memory that Dumbledore asked you from Slughorn."

"I know… you're right," said Harry, "Let's head back to the common room to get the potion."

The three of them walked to the boy's dormitory and headed to Harry's trunk. Harry kneeled and opened it. He looked for the potion, mixing the contents inside, finally remembering that he had put the vial inside one of the socks that Dobby had given him for Christmas. He took out the socks and pulled from them a gleaming little bottle.

Examining it for a bit, Harry uncorked the bottle and carefully measured a small gulp. Harry felt extremely lucky, everything seemed possible and easy. "I'm going to Hagrid's."

"What?" Hermione and Ron said in unison.

"No, Harry. You have to go and see Slughorn," said Hermione.

"Hermione, I can't explain, I feel like… No, I know that I have to be with Hagrid. It's the right place to be." said Harry and didn't wait for a reply; he put the Invisibility cloak on and left them with their mouths agape.

He crossed the portrait quickly; his ears picked the sound of a crying girl, coming from behind one the tapestries. He headed towards where the sound was coming from, pulled the fabric and saw Ginny crying her heart out disconsolately.


	30. Slughorn Memory Part 2

I know that you like me to update soon, so here's another chapter for you to enjoy! :D

The end of this story is near... so bare with me. ;-)

Chapter 30

Slughorn's Memory part 2

"Ginny?" asked Harry, reaching the crying girl and hugging her "What's the matter?"

Ginny couldn't form any words, her aching heart and soul spoke a non-verbal language, the language of sadness and tears.

Harry couldn't allow himself to abandon Ginny at a time when he knew she needed him the most. He just knew that it was all right to take her with him, so taking his cloak out he covered them both with it and climbed the stairs towards Hagrid's hut. Midway there, Harry felt the necessity to go to the green houses. He didn't understand why he wanted it, his mind was telling him it was a reckless thing, yet he knew that it was right to do so because the potion was telling him to.

When they reached the greenhouses, they found Professor Sprout and Professor Slughorn talking, "I really thank you for taking the time, Pomona, they are most effective when picked at twilight," Slughorn said courteously.

"I agree," said Professor Sprout, "Is that enough?"

"Absolutely!" Slughorn said, his elation increasing with each passing minute. Then, looking at the time, he said, "Well, good evening to you, many thanks again."

He was about to head to bed but a sudden sensation of being watched took over him, making him stay. He looked around but all he saw was Professor Sprout leaving. He assume that it was his nerves playing their toll on him, he ignored them and started walking when Harry took off the cloak, revealing themselves to the Defence Against the Darks Arts teacher, making him jump.

"Good gracious! Harry, Ginny, what are you doing here?"

"We're heading to see Hagrid, Professor," Ginny answered first and the Harry said, "Hagrid's pet has just died. He's pretty upset…"

"It was a giant spider named Aragog. He was able to talk and all. Hagrid had it for years living in the forest."

"Please don't tell anyone, Professor. We don't want to get him into trouble," added Ginny.

"I can't promise it. But I guess it's all right. Dumbeldore seems to trust Hagrid completely, so I don't think that he can't be up to anything bad…" said Slughorn, his curiosity arisen and then he muttered to himself, "You said a giant spider? Acromantulas are very rare and it's venom very valuable. I heard rumours about them living in the forest. So, is it true?"

"Yes, Professor. He's the first that Hagrid ever got and died last night. He wants company while he buries it and we said we would join him," answered Harry.

Sluhorn's eyes suddenly beamed with greed at the mere thought of the gold he could get if he obtained some venom from the spider and then muttered, "seems an awful waste not to collect the venom…Of course… I wouldn't like to upset Hagrid."

"Why don't you join us Professor?" said Harry, and Ginny added, "Hagrid would be pleased to see you coming. We could all give Aragog a better send off, telling a few good things about him…"

"Of course," said Slughorn, his eyes still showing that greedy look. "I'll meet you two down there. I'll go and change for the occasion and will bring a bottle or two to drink to the poor beast's departure."

He went back to the castle while Ginny and Harry headed towards Hagrid's. Harry was extremely happy with how things were going.

When they reached the pumpkin patch, they saw a big pile of dirt and next to it a pretty big hole in the ground along with a big hairy black spider on its back with its legs curved. Hagrid was standing next to it, crying. His tears were falling to the ground creating a pool of tears that moistened the freshly dug earth.

"You came" said Harry, looking at Harry. Then, seeing that Ginny was there as well, he said, "Thanks fer commin'..."

"Sorry that Hermione and Ron couldn't come," said Harry, "They had other things to do. They are really sorry."

"It doesn't... doesn't matter. Aragog would be happy that Ginny an' yeh are here. Thanks," said Hagrid, trying to suppress his crying but couldn't and started crying once more, the pool beneath his feet getting bigger.

Harry patted the giant's elbow trying to comfort him.

"Professor Slughorn is coming too," said Ginny

Hagrid alarmed said, "What? Not in trouble are yeh?" and then added, "Yeh shouldn' be out o' the castle. This is my fault, sorry."

"No, don't worry," said Harry, "He knows about Aragog and wants to pay his respects to him. He shouldn't be long; he said we would change into something more suitable."

A second later, Slughorn appeared carrying two large bottles; he was dressed in a cobalt blue suit with a matching cravat, wearing the same sombre expression on his face, which made him look like a giant blueberry.

When he spoke, his voice was very deep and gave, "Hagrid, I'm so sorry for you loss."

A sniffing Hagrid said, "Thanks a lot, tha''s very nice o' yeh. Also, thanks fer not givin' Harry an' Ginny detention..."

"Not to worry, Hagrid. Not to worry."

"Shall we… do it then?" asked Hagrid with his shaken voice, while looking at everyone with sad eyes.

They all nodded and proceeded with the burial ceremony…

There was something weird going on that night; it was as if the creatures of the forest, along with nature itself were saying goodbye to the Arachnid King.

The moon was shining above them and its gentle rays illuminated the horrible spider's body. The breeze, gentle at first, suddenly became harder, moving the trees around them while the forest creatures emitted different sounds. Small and big eyes bright between the branches and leaves, this was a moment they would not forget.

Slughorn approached Aragog's lifeless body; he took a moment to admire the spider's head, with its eight milky eyes staring blankly at the sky. He kneeled in front of the pincers, pulled out of his coat a couple of flasks and then, made a small incision while placing the bottles to extract the venom, one after the other. When he finished with the last bottle, he hid them inside his coat, got up and said, "Marvellous creature."

Hagrid who hadn't noticed a thing, said between sniffs, "He was indeed marvellous an' beautiful. I didn' know tha' you were interested in creatures like Aragog, Horace."

"I'm not merely interested in them, my dear Hagrid. I revere them. Shall we proceed to bury him?"

This comment made Hagrid cry more but nodded in agreement. He moved forward, lifted the giant spider between his arms and approaching the hole in the ground rolled the spider in to the pit. The inert body made a very grave and horrible crunchy thud when it hit the ground and Hagrid cried even harder.

Harry and Slughorn patted Hagrid on the elbow while Ginny placed her hand comfortingly on Hagrid's right side. They remained a few more minutes trying to comfort Hagrid and then, Slughorn moved towards the grave and said some kind words to Aragog that made Hagrid bellow, "Tha' was… tha' was… beautiful!" and collapse into the wet and soggy earth, crying loudly.

Slughorn raised his wand to move the earth on top of the spider to form a smooth mound, while Harry and Ginny kept comforting Hagrid. Once Slughorn had finished, they all helped Hagrid to stand up and took him to his hut where they sat by the fire and drank to forget their pain.

Harry only pretended to drink but saw the alcohol making its job on everyone, making Hagrid and Slughorn start singing loudly and incoherently, while Ginny just fell asleep. From time to time Harry refilled the mugs of the singers until their eyes looked cloudy and Hagrid fell asleep as well.

It was then that Slughorn asked Harry, "I don't… don't suppose that you remember what happened that night, Harry?"

"You mean the night that Voldemort murdered my parents?" said Harry, fully aware of Slughorn's question.

Slughorn cringed at the sound of the name but nodded.

"No. Well, I was only one year old when they died," his eyes fixed on the flame that was flickering in the fire place. "But I've been able to find most of it out… My dad was the first to die. Did you know that?"

"No, I didn't," said Sluhorn in a quiet voice.

"Yeah, Voldermort killed him first and then stepped over his body toward my mum," said Harry stopping for an instant, relieving everything in his mind. Slughorn cringed once more but couldn't take his eyes away from Harry.

"He told her to get out of the way, that she would not be harmed if she did what he asked. That he only wanted me. She could have run, but she didn't. She stepped in front of me and protected me. She pleaded Voldemort not to kill me and Voldermort just laughed."

"Enough! Please Harry, I can't take it!" said Slughorn as he raised his hand to stop Harry from saying more.

"I had forgotten," said Harry, the potion leading him on, "that you liked her, didn't you Professor?"

"Liked her?" asked Slughorn, his voice shaking and his eyes brimming with tears, " She was liked by many. She was very brave, funny and intelligent. She was one of my best students…"

Harry looked sternly at Slughorn's tearful eyes as he said, "But you don't want to help her son, do you? She gave her life to save me and you don't want to give me the memory I need to destroy her murderer."

"I… I…" said the Potions teacher, his voice shaking, "please don't say that. My dear boy, I can't give you the memory. I'm not proud of it, I'm ashamed of its contents… I'm afraid that I may have done a lot of damage that day. I'm not a Gryffindor; I don't have the courage like you do to fight against He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named."

"Please, Professor. Be brave like Lily Evans, please help me to get rid of him by giving me the memory. Dumbledore and I need that information."

"I… I…" said Sluhorn thinking about if for a few seconds and then said, "Very well. Please don't think too badly about me once you see it." He pulled out a bottle out of his coat and putting his wand to his head withdrew the memory, bottling it inside the phial and gave it to Harry.

"Thank you very much, Professor," said Harry and then went towards Ginny, woke her up and started walking back towards the castle. Once inside, Harry carried Ginny towards the seventh floor and standing in front of the Room of Requirement, thought of a cosy room where he could talk with her.

Once Harry entered the room, he placed Ginny carefully in one of the couches. He took the anti-hangover potion from the table near her, uncorked the bottle, opened Ginny's mouth slightly and made her drink it.

Ginny woke up immediately, feeling her regular self. She looked at Harry and asked him where she was as she didn't know what happened after the burial. He explained that they were in the Room of Requirement and told her that the booze had made her fall asleep and that he had taken her there, because they needed to talk.

"Ginny, what is going on?" Why were you crying?" asked Harry concerned.

"You very well know the reason, Harry. I love Hermione with my whole heart and soul but she chose Ron to be with. I can't help the way I feel and it really hurts to see her with him. I wish there was some way to erase these feelings once and for all," Ginny said with tears threatening to pour down her eyes.

Harry didn't say a word, he looked at Ginny thoughtfully, he couldn't help but to worry about her, about what she had just said. "Ginny, I hope you're not planning on doing something rash."

"No, Harry… I'm not. Don't worry about it, I'll be fine." Ginny said pausing momentarily placing her hand on Harry's shoulder and then added, "Thanks for being such a great friend and for looking after me every time I need it."

Harry and Ginny left the Room of Requirement and headed towards the Gryffindor Common Room where they met Hermione who delivered a letter from Dumbledore to Harry telling him to see him as soon as possible for their next lesson. Harry left both of them quickly to arrive on time.

There was an awkward silence between Hermione and Ginny. "So, what did you think of Apparition lessons?" asked Hermione, trying to ignore the uncomfortable situation.

"It was all right, I guess," said Ginny, not meeting Hermione's eyes. Before Hermione could say something else to her, she said, " Sorry, I have to go… I have some homework to do… see you around," and left Hermione standing there dumb folded.

Harry arrived on time for his lesson with Dumbledore, opened the door and looked inside, trying to locate the Headmaster in the room. The room was very bright, filled with a golden colour that surrounded the whole room, which was full with Dumbledore's strange objects.

Harry found Dumbledore looking through the window with his hand tied behind his back and headed towards him.

Dumbledore's eyes were fixed on the horizon and his face was grave with seriousness, he knew that Harry had entered the room without seeing him. His mind was trying to make sense of the missing links in Voldemort's past. In his mind, he knew that the memory that Harry had obtained from Slughorn was essential to solve what the Dark Lord really wanted to achieve.

"Welcome, Harry. I've been expecting you…" said Dumbledore before Harry was able to touch his shoulder.

"You bring the memory with you, I presume."

"Yes, sir. Here it is." answered Harry, giving the bottle to the Headmaster.

"Thanks, Harry…" Dumbledore said, while making his way to the pensive. He uncorked the vial and poured the memory into it.

Harry by now knew what was coming, so he joined the Headmaster and both submerged their heads into the un-tampered memory of Slughorn and Voldemort.

They descended through the darkness until their feet reached Slughorn's office many years ago.

Harry saw a much younger professor Slughorn, with thick, shiny straw-coloured hair and a gingery-blond moustache sitting in the comfortable winged armchair, holding a small glass of wine in one hand, the other hand rummaging in a box of crystallized pineapple and his feet resting upon a velvet pouffe. There were twelve kids sitting on the floor and forming a circle around Slughorn. They knew each other perfectly and were comfortable with each other.

Harry couldn't help but to look at the young Tom Riddle. He was handsome in a sombre kind of way, his face looked thinner and the bones on his face were slightly visible. He was not the eldest of the group, yet he had an aura of premature maturity.

Dumbledore landed just when Riddle was asking Slughorn if it was true that Professor Merrythought was retiring.

When Harry returned to the present time, after the memory had faded away, he found Dumbledore sitting comfortably on his chair, holding his blackened hand and waiting for Harry to sit down in front of his desk.

"I have been waiting for this piece of information for a very long time… It just confirms my suspicions. Now we're closer to solve this riddle… " said Dumbledore thoughtfully.

He looked at Harry and said, "He was the same age as you when Tom Riddle started searching the way to become immortal. I hope that you understand the importance of it as it is vital for you to defeat him."

"Sir, do you think, that he succeeded?" Harry asked a bit overwhelmed by the fact that he was the one that would have to kill Voldermort. It had been a burden that he knew he had to take since the day that The Dark Lord had murdered his parents, a prophecy that he was bound to fulfil whether he want it or not.

"I'm afraid so. I had proof of that four years ago when you handed me Riddle's diary and told me what had happened. You see, the Riddle that came out of the diary had a mind of his own and a simple memory is not able to do that; but what worried me the most was that Tom not only concealed part of his soul like a normal wizard would do, no. He went beyond that by making it a safeguard and a weapon, so that his soul was still protected and conceled while at the same time it would attack whoever possessed it."

Harry looked thoughtfully at Dumbledore, trying to digest what he was explaining to him.

"Two years ago you mentioned that when Voldemort returned to his body he had told his followers that he had gone further than anybody else in finding the path to immortality. He was talking about his Horcruxes, you and I know that know, thanks to the memory that you have provided."

"As you see now, Harry, this is the most vital memory of all because this one gives you an idea as to how many he wanted to create."

"He made seven Horcruxes then?" asked Harry feeling a mix of horror, astonishment and overwhelm once he remembered what Riddle had said during the memory. Shocked expressions came from the portraits around them with Harry's question.

"Not quite, Harry… Six. The seventh one, what is left of it, still resides inside Voldemort's regenerated body."

"How are we going to find the six Horcruxes then, sir?" asked Harr, his voice filled with concern.

"Harry, you're forgetting that you already destroyed one of them in your second year: the diary and I have destroyed another one: Malvolo's ring. Which I must say had it not been for my skill and Professor Snape's timely action I'd have not survived." Dumbledore lifted his burned hand to Harry to see and lightly smiled. " I must say that one maimed hand is not an unreasonable lost for a piece of Lord Voldemort's soul."

"Sir, but how did you find it?"

"I found it hidden in the Gaunt's ruined house in one of my many travels trying to uncover a clue about Voldemort's past. It seems that once the ring was made a Horcrux, he was no longer interested in wearing it and decided to hide it. My guess is that the same happened with the rest of them. If we are correct and I believe that we are, there are still four Hourcruxes left to destroy."

"But it could be anything!" said Harry.

"Harry, you're forgetting that Lord Voldemort liked to collect treasures. Treasures with powerful magical history would be very appealing to him, as they would increase his belief in his own superiority. In his mind an object like that could help him carve place among the greatest in the magical history."

"Sir, but the diary wasn't special."

"Harry, it was an special object for Voldemort since it was proof that he was the Hire of Slytherin." explained Dumbledore patiently.

"Do you know, sir, what are the other objects and where can we find them?"

"My guess is that the locket and Hufflepuf cup after disappearing, became Horcruxes three and four. As for their whereabouts, I think I have a slight idea where they can be found."

"What about number six, sir?"

"I believe that number six although a bit unusual, is Nagini, his snake."

"Nagini?" asked Harry bewildered, "Isn't it possible to make Horcruxes out of animals, sir?"

"It is indeed possible, although not advisable to do so because you're confiding part of your soul to something that can think and move. It could backfire any minute." explained Dumbledore, "My guess is that Voldermort at the time was one Horcrux short on his goal to achieve seven. He intended to use your death to it, but failed miserably and after a few years, he used Nagini to kill an old Muggle man. It might have occurred to him to use the snake to make his last Horcrux. After all, she underlines the Slytherin connection, enhancing Voldemort's mystique."

"Are you still looking for them sir?"

"That's correct, Harry. I think I might have come upon the whereabouts of one of them…"

"May I come with you sir?" asked Harry a bit doubtful that the Headmaster would let him join him because he was used by now, to be told by everyone that he must kept safe; or to hear words fo caution, words meant to protect him.

Dumbledore thought about it for a couple of seconds before replying, "Yes, Harry. You can come with me."

The portraits surrounding them, murmured between each others alarmed at Dumbledore's answer.

"Really?" asked Harry incredulous of his luck, feeling extremely cheerful.

Dumbledore then, emitted a guttural sound to affirm his response.

"Well then, Harry… Shall we go?"

Harry looked at Dumbledore for a few seconds, wondering if he was serious, but seeing that it was real, he said, "Sir, may I ask where are we heading to?"

"We're heading to the cave in which Tom Riddle once terrorized two children from the orphanage."

"Are you ready?" asked Dumbledore patiently.

"Yes, sir." Harry took the Headmaster's arm and they apparated.


	31. The Potion is no more

Chapter 31

The Potion is no more

I know I shouldn't have lied to Harry when we talked just before heading to bury Hagrid's pet, but I didn't want to worry him. I didn't want him finding out what kind of books I've been researching.

What books you might ask? Well, Dark ones, only available in the Restricted Section in the Library.

What for? Well, I've been looking for a way to get rid of my feelings for Hermione, because being honest… my heart is bleeding for her.

I'm alone in one of the bathrooms in the seventh floor, concealed by Harry's cloak. A heavy, dusty old book with a black faded cover lies before me.

I open the page that I have bookmarked and read out loud:

Amoroblivio

Part 1: Potion

1 Aswinder egg

9 rose thorns

2 fresh peppermints

1 scoop of Moonstone powder, crushed

1 dragon part, could be nail or scales

½ teaspoon of ginger

1 hair of the person that you want to forget

Part 2: Body oils

Olive oil

Lemon scent

Jasmine leaves

Vanilla Bean

Instructions:

Part 1:

Add the aswinder egg to a simmering cauldron then stir gently till the egg has dissolved.

Wait for the potion to boil and then add the rose thorns, one by one until it changes colour.

Add the peppermint and let it boil until the colour changes to red. Add the moonstone powder and stir counter clockwise for ten minutes, then add the dragon part of your preference ( for best results, use scales )

Brew the mixture until golden brown, add the ginger and the hair.

Wait until a gently explosion occurs. Watch until it finally settles.

If done correctly, the potion should match the colour of the hair of the person that you want to forget about and it will erase all the feelings you have for that person.

Part 2:

Note: For the oils, mix the olive oil with each scent separated in different flasks, always adding three drops from the potion to keep the effects and make it work quicker.

Drink a flask per day.

It has taken me a long time to get the ingredients without anyone noticing, but now, everything is ready to start with the potion. According to the text in here, if the potion is correctly prepared, it will erase all the feelings that I have for Hermione… Merlin knows that I just need that to continue with my life… "sigh"

I read the directions once more, and start preparing it….

Meanwhile in another part of the castle, Hermione headed to the Library where she hoped to find Ginny and have a word with her, but when she reached her destination, Ginny was nowhere to be found. Frustrated with her bad luck, she decided to head back to their room and see if she was there but once more, the girl was not there, so she hopped in her bed, lay down and looked at the wooded ceiling of her four-poster bed. Her hands were clamped tight together; her right fingers moved one after the other, matching her increased uneasiness. She had a really bad feeling about Ginny and she couldn't tell why.

Hermione moved to a sitting position but, then lay down for a few more seconds. She couldn't get comfortable. Deciding she couldn't take it any longer, she stood up and went to the boys' dormitory towards Harry's room. When she reached it, she said hello to Ron curtly and without saying another word, opened Harry's trunk, took the Marauders map and left, leaving Ron with a sour face.

Once outside, she opened the map, said the words to reveal its secrets and searched for Ginny on the map. When she found her, she headed there. Her heart was telling her to hurry up or she would regret it, so she sped up her pace.

When she entered the bathroom, she saw Ginny sitting on the floor in a lotus position, a huge dusty book with leather cover, a boiling cauldron and what seemed several flasks containing a brown liquid in them.

Ginny didn't seem to noticed Hermione as she was looking intently at one of the flasks that she was holding on her hand. She sighed heavily and took the flask to her mouth….

"Ginny! Don't!" yelled Hermione desperately. Her heart was telling her that something terrible was bound to happen.

It was then, that Ginny saw Hermione, standing in front of her, looking extremely agitated. Hermione reached Ginny, took the flask that Ginny was holding and smashed it to the ground. She tried making Ginny spill the liquid, but it was too late as the liquid had already passed her lips and the effects had begun.

Ginny looked at Hermione with new eyes; she seemed somehow different.

"Ginny! What have you done?" asked an alarmed Hermione.

Ginny looked at Hermione, but she couldn't recognize her. She looked around and saw that she was standing in the middle of a bathroom with a book lying in front of her and there was a small pool of a liquid in which floated several pieces of glass.

Ginny looked once more at the brown-haired girl in front of her and asked, " Who are you?"

Hermione's heart gave a somersault. In the pit of her stomach there was a nasty feeling that she couldn't describe.

Outside there were several noises from people talking loudly, Hermione wondered who they could be, as the castle was pretty much empty since there were only a couple of teachers, Ron, Harry, Ginny and herself.

The voices kept getting louder and Hermione recognized one of the voices belonging to a well-known Dead Eater: Bellatrix Lestrange.

Hermione's first instinct was to grab Ginny, pulling her with her and placing Ginny behind her as the door of the bathroom opened revealing Bellatrix with several other Dead Eaters and Draco Malfoy.

When Bellatrix saw Hermione she laughed hysterically, "Well, well, well… Isn't the Mudblood standing there, all alone in this bathroom?"

The Dead Eaters started laughing with her.

"Oh, and there's someone she's trying to protect… Isn't it…" she moved her head to take a better look at the girl whom Hermione was covering with her body. " The traitor Weasley!"

She looked at both of them with evil eyes and she started laughing manically again. As she did so, some of the Dead Eaters started surrounding them.

Bellatrix turned around to look at Draco for an instant and said, "Draco, head upstairs and do what was commanded of you. Take Dolohov and the others waiting outside with you"

Malfoy didn't protest but mocked her once she had turned around. He closed the door and went to the Headmaster's office.

Bellatrix made the Dead Eaters that stood with her grab both girls. She saw the book lying on the floor, took it and read the page at which it was opened. A wicked smiled played on her lips as she turned to look at the girls. She went towards them and examined them, noticing that Ginny was under the effects of the potion. She looked at her closely, took Ginny's chin with malevolent delicacy and looked her in the eye. "I see that you've been naughty little Weasley…" then, she looked at Hermione and threw her a smile.

Bellatrix conjured a chair in the middle of the room and ordered the Dead Eaters to place Hermione on it. She whispered an incantation and magical bindings appeared straining Hermione's arms and legs. She said to the Dead Eaters to hold Ginny's face to look at what she was going to do.

"Sectusempra!" Bellatrix yelled and several slashes started appearing on Hermione's body as she yelled in pain.

Ginny felt horrified at what Bellatrix was doing to the girl. She couldn't stand it. She tried to look away, but the Dead Eaters were making her look. As more slashes came and more blood poured down Hermione's body, Ginny started crying. Somewhere deep inside of her, the love that she had suppressed with the potion was emerging.

"Stop it!" Ginny yelled. "Please don't hurt her! Take me, but not her!" said Ginny pleadingly, her eyes stained with several tears. The love inside of her was bubbling to the surface, killing the effects of the potion.

Bellatrix turned to look at Ginny with curiosity…. and in that slight moment of distraction, Ron appeared, stunning the Dead Eaters that were holding his sister.

Ginny took her wand and disarmed Bellatrix as Ron untied Hermione.

"You're going to pay for what you have done to her, you bloody witch!" said Ginny enraged.

Bellatrix laughed hysterically, "You don't have the nerve, little girl."

"Oh! But I do!" said Professor McGonagall who appeared behind her, and stunned her.

McGonagall said, "Mr. and Miss Weasley, please take Miss Granger to Madam Pomfrey in the Great Hall. I shall meet you there soon." Then she went towards the Headmaster's gargoyle and disappeared.

When Ron and Ginny reached the Great Hall, Madam Pomfrey looked at them and, seeing Hermione bleeding profusely, exclaimed, " Oh my Goodness…" and ran towards them to help them carry her to a provisional bed. Then, she shooed both Weasleys off Hermione and started treating her.

Ginny's tearing eyes couldn't get away from the wounded Hermione. She felt sick, terribly guilty for not being able to do anything to help her other than wait. She sank to her knees and covered her eyes with her palms for a few minutes. She felt restless, she couldn't take it any more. She stood up from the floor, and began to take a step towards Hermione, but decided better of it. Instead she thought it better to go and find that bloody woman who had done this to Hermione and tear her apart with her hands.

As she was making her way towards the door, Ron called, "Where are you going, Ginny?" his eyes were tinted red from all the crying. He was beside Hermione's bed, holding her hand.

Ginny looked at her brother and seeing him standing beside the woman she loved, felt her head spinning even more, her heart shattering. She didn't reply, but started walking, her fists tight, her rage towards Bellatrix at its best, and the pain she was in making her body tense, her ears buzzing loudly. She was walking through the hallway in a furious trance.

She didn't get much further, since at the end of the corridor was Professor McGonagall along with a horrified Harry, and they both walked towards Ginny.

This sight made her boiling rage, subside; she crossed the distance separating them and hugged Harry.

"What happened? Are you okay?" asked Ginny

"No," answered Harry quietly as he looked at Ginny. His fists were closed so hard that they were turning purple.

He let Ginny's warmness to melt a bit of the pain and the anger that he was feeling and found himself hugging her tightly. He remained like that for a few minutes and then he said, "Professor Dumbledore was murdered, Ginny." His voice was shaking from despair.

"What?" asked Ginny with shock. "That can be possible… who could have done such a thing?"

"Snape killed him." answered Harry and as he said it, true fire was reflected in his eyes.

A moment passed in silence and then he told her how Professor McGonagall and the other members of the Order of the Phoenix who had been guarding the castle had managed to fight the Dead Eaters but they, along with Malfoy had fled. The Order of the Phoenix had saved him from being murdered.

"Mr. Potter, Miss Weasley, we should head to the Great Hall at once." Professor McGonagall said curtly.

The three of them headed there while Ginny told him what had happened with Hermione. When they reached their destination, they saw that Ron was standing near Hermione's body and he was holding her hand.

Ron didn't acknowledge their presence and moved towards Hermione's and pressed his lips against hers for a few moments. The tears that he had in his face, were slowly pouring down his face and they made their way to Hermione's lips.

Ginny clenched her fists, trying to suppress the anger she felt at her brother for kissing the woman that she loved, but instead, she curled into a ball in one of the corners of the room and, closing her eyes, she allowed herself to sleep.


	32. Dumbledore's Funeral

Chapter 32

Dumbledore's Funeral

The next morning, Ginny was awakened by a yell," No! That can't be!" a male voice was saying anxiously. He sat on a chair nearby and muttered, "He can't be dead."

Ginny was suddenly aware of where she was, what had happened the previous night. "It hadn't been a dream," she told herself. Her head hurt like hell and her muscles were incredibly sore for sleeping on the stone floor. She stood up, combed her hair a bit and pressed the wrinkles of her skirt and blouse out to remove them.

She looked for where the shout had come from and saw that the man's voice belonged to Lupin who was sitting in a chair and was surrounded by Harry, Ron, Professor McGonagall, Hagrid and Tonks who seemed to be trying to comfort him, but the wizard seemed to be absorbed in his own thoughts. The people surrounding him decided to leave him alone for a few minutes.

"Lupin," Ginny said carefully, gently placing her hand on Lupin's shoulder. The contact made him look up.

"I can't believe that Dumbledore is dead," Lupin said, his voice reflecting all the sadness that he had in his heart. "That the person that Dumbledore trusted the most was the one ending his life."

"Dumbledore always hinted that he had a powerful reason to trust Snape," muttered Professor McGonagall who had silently approached them. She dabbed some tears from the corner of her eyes with a handkerchief.

"I wonder what it was that Snape told Dumbledore to convince him," said Tonks also placing a hand on Lupin's shoulder.

Harry took a deep breath and said, "Snape told Dumbledore that he had been the one that had given the information of where to find my mom and dad to Voldermort, that he hadn't realized what he had done, that he was sorry that they were dead."

"I can't believe that Dumbledore believed that," exclaimed Lupin incredulously, shaking his head.

The room become quiet; everyone was occupied with their own thoughts. The silence made the air heavy with sorrow, regret of what could have been done, and what it was already a done deal. Dumbledore's death was a heavy weight in their hearts.

McGonagall's voice awakened them from their stupor, "I still don't get how the Death Eaters could have possibly entered the castle, after all the powerful enchantments that we placed…"

"I do," said Harry and told them about the two vanishing cabinets, one at Borgin and Burkes and the other in the Room of Requirement and how they connected, making a magical path between them.

Harry and the rest of the people gathering in the Great Hall shared their version of the story, filling the gaps, until all the pieces were in place. It was then, that the sorrow in their hearts was so heavy and deep that the love and respect for the Headmaster was materialized with a sad and beautiful song from Dumbledore's phoenix, Fawkes.

Harry's thoughts wandered aimlessly…He wondered if Dumbledore's body had been already taken from the tower and what would happen next and then what the future would be. His subconscious couldn't put behind all the things that Snape had done and subsequently the anger that he had towards him increased to the point of hatred. He clenched tightly the fake Horcrux that he had gotten from his trip with Dumbledore in his right hand.

Suddenly, the doors of the Great Hall opened wide in that instant, making them all jump, and Mr. and Mrs. Weasley came striding towards them.

Professor McGonagall approached to greet them and said, "Everyone is fine, the worst was taken by Miss Granger, but she seems to be recovering quickly given the injuries that she suffered."

Mrs. Weasley went towards Ron and Ginny and hugged them tightly, happy that both her children were fine. Then, she went towards Harry and did the same, and finally towards Hermione's bed and gave her a kiss on the cheek. She asked her how she felt and sat beside her to keep her company.

Meanwhile, Mr. Weasley asked Professor McGonagall if it was true that Dumbledore had been murdered, to which she nodded. He turned to look at his wife for a moment, and then, excusing himself with McGonagall, went towards his wife and stood by her side. He put an arm around her and gave her a sad look. Sensing his sadness, she turned to look at him and seeing it reflected on his face, she knew that the rumours were true. She sighed, took some air, and kept trying to comfort Hermione, to tell her that everything was going to be okay.

Professor McGonagall approached Harry and, pulling him aside where nobody could listen, she said, "Harry, I must ask you to tell me what you were doing with Professor Dumbledore this evening when you left the school."

"I'm sorry Professor, I can't tell you. Professor Dumbledore didn't want me to tell anyone," said Harry. He paused momentarily to think of something that he could, in fact, tell her…

"Potter," said McGonagall firmly. She was going to say something when Harry said, "Madame Rosmerta, under the Imperious Curse, helped the Death Eaters to pass the necklace and the poisoned mead to the school."

"Rosmerta? Are you sure of it, Potter?" asked Professor McGonagall astounded.

The Great Hall's doors opened once more to admit Hagrid, who was accompanied by Ministry officials. They headed towards Professor McGonagall and Hagrid said, "Professor, the ministry officials are here to talk with yeh."

"Thank you, Hagrid," said Professor McGonagall. She turned to look briefly at the group around Hermione's bed and then said, "Please inform Professor Slughorn that he will be appointed the new Head of Slytherin. Also, please tell the Heads of Houses, that I want to see them in my office in an hour. I'd like you to join us too."

Hagrid nodded in understanding and left the Great Hall, followed by the ministry officials and McGonagall.

An hour later, Professor McGonagall returned to the Great Hall to meet with the rest of the Heads of Houses, who were already waiting for her there while the rest of the people in the room talked to one another about Bill and Fleur's wedding and discussed what they thought the future of Hogwarts would be.

Professor McGonagall greeted her colleges and asked them to accompany her to the next room, where they would have a meeting.

When the last person had entered the room, McGonagall said, " I've asked you to come here this evening because, due to recent events, we need to discuss the future of Hogwarts."

She looked around the room, gazing at each of her colleges momentarily before speaking again, "Personally, I think that we shouldn't reopen Hogwarts… because in the eyes of the public, the murder of the headmaster by one of our colleges is something terrible and it would stain the school's history for years and years to come."

"I am sure that Dumbledore would want us to keep the school open as long as there would be a student willing to learn," said Pomona Sprout.

"Right!" said, Slughorn vehemently, but then, shaking his head briefly, he allowed doubt to show and said, "But will we have another student after this? I mean, don't get me wrong, personally I think Hogwarts is as safe now as anywhere else, but I fear that parents will want to have their children at home. It's only natural for them to want the family to be together…"

"I don't think that we should make a decision hastily," added Flitwick.

"I agree," said McGonagall, "we should wait for the governors." She looked at Hagrid curiously and then said, "What do you think, Hagrid? You haven't said anything…"

"I don' know, Professor… I'd like to stay here if tha's okay with yeh. This is my home, yeh see? It's been my home since I was thirteen. I can' imagine Hogwarts without Dumbledore…" said Hagrid and sniffing he disappeared behind his handkerchief making all of the people on the room to become silent.

"I believe it wise to send the students home soon," said Slughorn.

"Yes, I think that would be appropriate, since Molley and Arthur Weasley are already here, they could take the children with them…" added McGonagall.

"Excuse me Professor," said Hagrid timidly, "but what about Dumbledore's funeral?"

McGonagall's briskness was lost a bit when she spoke and her voice shook, "Well, Dumbledore expressed his wish to be buried at Hogwarts. I suppose that the Ministry won't object it, since no other headmaster gave so much for the school as him."

"In that case," said Sprout, "shouldn't we wait to send the students home and invite the rest of the school to the headmaster's funeral?"

"Well said!" squeaked Flitwick.

"Very well said!" added Slughorn, "It's fitting that they should pay tribute. We can arrange transport home afterward."

"Precisely," Professor Sprout added passionately

With that statement, the meeting was concluded and Professor McGonagall went to the Great Hall to inform Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny as well as their parents that the castle has been secured by the Ministry so that everyone could stay the night in there. The necessary arrangements for Dumbledore's funeral had been made and the rest of the students, as well as their families, had been invited to pay tribute to the headmaster, and after the funeral they could get back home until the future of the school was decided.

The next morning was Dumbledore's funeral and the people at the castle woke up with sadness in their hearts; they knew what lay ahead. Dumbledore's death meant the start of horrors, of nightmares. Nowhere would be safe anymore, not until the Dark Lord was gone for sure.

Everyone got up as if in a daze and put their clothes on and headed to the grounds for the burial. Harry, Ginny, and Ron headed towards the Great Hall to visit Hermione. She had been discharged and was already dressed by the time that they arrived. Somerely they left the castle together and stepped outside into the morning air.

The giant, powder-blue carriage pulled by white palominos, belonging to Beauxbatons was parked on the edge of the Forbidden Forest and the enormous ship of Durmstrang was docked at the lake and several Hogwarts students had arrived already and were gathering with their families.

One by one, the families and students that had insisted on paying their lasts respects to Dumbledore took their places in the hundreds of chairs that had been placed beside the lake, facing a long marble table. Behind it there were chairs belonging to the teachers of Hogwarts. Several Ministry officials, including the Minister of Magic were being accommodated in seats that were in front.

Harry, Hermione, Ron, and Ginny found a place in a row beside the lake where they had a great view of everything. The weather was warm and nice and the people that were sitting while waiting for the ceremony to begin were whispering to one another, making the experience a bit noisy.

The Minister of Magic looked at Harry from his seat, but was distracted by Fawkes the phoenix, who appeared flying on the grounds magnificently, singing a beautifully sad song that made everyone slowly fall silent. Then, the merpeople started singing a song of loss and despair, and when the song was over, Hagrid, crying silently walked up the aisle between the chairs, carrying Dumbledore's body in his arms.

When Hermione saw the Headmaster body being carried by Hagrid, her eyes watered and she unconsciously placed her hand on Ginny who was sitting on her right side instead of Ron. This gesture caught Ginny by surprise. She looked at Hermione's hand resting on her leg, feeling warm and a tingling sensation spread through her body. Her first impulse was to reach out for the hand and cover it with her own, but she didn't do it. She turned to look briefly to her left side, where Harry, Ron and Hermione were. Her sight stopped on her brother who, oblivious to where Hermione's hand lay, was holding her and stroking her hair as she sobbed, and for the umpteenth time, Ginny wondered why he was so lucky to have Hermione by his side despite his indiscretions. She told herself that she couldn't hold Hermione's hand, not even as a friend trying to comfort the other; her feelings for the woman sitting next to her didn't allow her to be just her friend, she had tried… Merlin knows she had tried, but her feelings didn't ebb, nor the pain of deep love, of knowing that Hermione was her soul mate and that she wasn't hers, that she belonged to someone else. Her eyes went back to the ceremony and she did her best to forget about everything, to block it all.

When the burial was over, Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny walked in silence to meet the Weasleys. When they were about to leave, a voice called from behind, "Harry!"

Harry turned and saw Rufus Scrimegeour, the Minister of Magic, limping rapidly towards him. "I've been hoping to have a word with you… Please take a walk with me for a minute."

After being told that they would wait for him, Harry followed the Minister and was asked what it was that he was doing with Dumbledore the night of his death. After a heated conversation, Harry returned to where the Weasleys were waiting for him and share with them what the Minister of Magic wanted, to ask him once more that he should put a word to the world saying what a wonderful job the Ministry had done in exchange for protection and asking him to give the Ministry information as to Voldemort's whereabouts which he had refused. Once he finished with his story, they left for the Burrow.


	33. Fleur and Bill's wedding

Chapter 33

Fleur and Bill's wedding

After the funeral, life at the Burrow seemed like a reminder that life still went on despite how many unexpected turns it took.

Fleur and Bill had decided due to the circumstances and the present state of fear in the Wizarding World that they would wed in two day's time in a small private ceremony with family members and some friends.

The next day, a knock on the door was heard on the Weasley's home. Rufus Scrimgeour, along with Percy Weasley waited patiently to be greeted. The family sourly received them, except Mrs Weasley who beamed at the mere sight of her son. Charlie, to avoid any confrontation, decided to go upstairs to look for Harry, Ron, Hermione and his sister Ginny.

When they had entered the room, the minister and Percy were sitting down in the living room with a sack of objects, a heavy trunk and a roll of parchment. As soon as they saw Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny, they stood up, said morning to them and waited for them to sit down.

"What's going on?" asked Hermione speaking for all of them.

"We came to read Dumbledore's will and give you what he left you on it," replied the Minister solemnly.

"I'm sorry that it took us this long to do this, but we had to examine the objects to make sure that they were safe," said Percy pompously.

"Now, we'll proceed to read Dumbledore's will," said the Minister.

"I, Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore, with current residence at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in the proximity of the village of Hogsmead, in the county of Inverneshire, Scotland, in full use of my mental capabilities and exercising my free will, I HEREBY REVOKE all former wills and testamentary disposition made by me AND DECLARE this to be my last will.

I APPOINT, Miverva McGonagall to be Executor and Trustee of this my Will.

Provided that there should be at all times one (1) Executors and Trustees of this my Will so that in the event that my above-named Executor and Trustee shall have pre-deceased me or shall survive me but die before the trusts hereof shall have terminated or shall be unable or unwilling to act or to continue to act, I appoint my brother Aberforth Ellis Dumbledore of the Hog's Head public house, Hogsmead, Aberdeenshire, Scotland.

And BEQUEATH as follows:

To Ronald Bilius Weasley, I leave my Deluminator, in the hope that he will remember me when he uses it.

To Miss Hermione Jean Granger, I leave a trunk of my favorite books, in the hope that she will find it entertaining and instructive.

2.3. To Harry James Potter, I leave the Snitch he caught in his first Quidditch match at Hogwarts, as a reminder of the rewards of perseverance and skill.

I GIVE DEVISE AND BEQUEATH the rest of my belongings to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

After inquiring about the possible reasons why Dumbledore chose Harry, Ron and Hermione, of all people, to leave some of his belongings to, and not having obtained any useful information, the Minister and Percy looked at them suspiciously and reluctantly gave them the objects before leaving the Burrow.

The preparations for the wedding and the upcoming arrival of Fleur's parents from Paris kept everyone busy with cleaning, preparing the canapés, and putting the various touches on the decorations that were to be placed around the house and in the garden for the reception. This gave the occupants of the house very little free time.

Ginny was dusting the living room sofa when she heard a crack from the fireplace and a green flame erupted from it. Moments later, the figure of Charlie Weasley appeared. He stepped out of it and said, "Mom, Dad, hello! I'm home."

Ginny didn't wait a second; she ran the few meters separating them and hugged her brother tightly, "Charlie!"

"Hey little sis," said Charlie returning the hug, "It's good to see you."

He then leaned backwards to take a better look at Ginny, "Every time that I see you, you've grown a bit more…" sighed Charlie, scrutinizing his sister curiously, "and you're as pretty as ever, Boys must be all over you," he added winking.

As Ginny was about to comment, another green flame erupted from the Weasley's fireplace and a tall, dark-haired girl appeared through it. She looked around searching for someone, but was surprised by Charlie who hugged her tightly and gave her a peck on the lips.

"Ariadna! I'm so glad that you were able to make it," said Charlie stepping back slightly.

"It's good to see you too, Charlie," said Ariadna, blushing and smiling at him.

"Baby, there's someone I want you to meet," said Charlie and motioned Ariadna towards Ginny. "This is my sister, Ginny."

"Hello, Ginny," Ariadna said and then kissed her on the cheek. "It's good to finally meet you. Charlie has told me a lot about you," said Ariadna looking at Ginny.

"Hi," said Ginny timidly, taking in the woman in front of her. She had shiny long dark hair, blue eyes, and lightly tanned skin. Her face seemed to be sculpted to perfection. She was wearing a white fitted shirt that looked very soft with blue jeans and pointy flats with a tiny heel.

Ginny couldn't help but blush slightly at the sight of this woman. Ariadna noticed it and smiled mischievously, knowing full well the effect that she had on people.

When Ariadna kissed Ginny on the cheek, Hermione entered the room. She noticed that Ginny's eyes had taken in every inch of the raven-haired girl and how Ginny had blushed when the other woman had caught her staring at her. Hermione suddenly felt like a volcano, with lava running through her veins. Her calm demeanour was starting to turn to anger and her fists clenched automatically. She tried to calm herself by reminding herself that Ginny was not hers, that she, Hermione was with Ron and that she couldn't do a single thing if Ginny liked another girl. She was so absorbed trying to erase from her memory what she had witnessed that she didn't noticed that Charlie and the others were looking at her.

"Hermione?" asked Charlie, "are you all right?" as he approached her and placed his hand gently on her shoulder and looked at her worriedly.

Composing her face, Hermione lied, "I'm fine, Charlie."

Ron and Harry arrived a minute later, both boys along with Ariadna and Charlie looked at the people in the living room who were all staring at Hermione with wonder.

"What's the matter?" asked Ron.

"Nothing, Ron," answered Hermione and she took him by the arm and pulled him away with her, making her way towards Ron and Harry's room. While being dragged, Ron turned to look at Harry and with a pleading look in his eyes.

Harry shrugged at Ron, his face quietly saying, 'I'm sorry, I can't do anything' and he stood there for a moment looking at Ginny, Ariadna and Charlie, and at the same time, reflecting on Hermione's strange behaviour. After a couple of minutes of uncomfortable silence from everybody, Harry said to Ginny, "Gin, care to join me for a walk?"

"Sure," said Ginny, glad to be pulled away from Ariadna and Charlie's gaze.

She and Harry walked out of the house towards the garden; they were silent most of the time, enjoying the time alone. Their minds were both occupied in their own thoughts. It wasn't until they reached a secluded area surrounded by trees that Harry decided to speak.

"Gin," said Harry carefully, "I think it's obvious from Hermione's reaction that your actions are hurting her. I know you and I know that you don't meant to do it, but you're pushing her away. Ariadna is Charlie's girlfriend, Gin."

"Harry, I'm not doing anything wrong," said Ginny defensively "I merely looked at her…"

"Plus, Hermione is with Ron!" said Ginny, placing her hands on her hips. "Why can't I look at other women without her being jealous?"

"If she hates me doing that so much, she should make a bloody decision and tell me once and for all that she loves me as much as I love her. I'm tired of waiting and waiting for her to admit it, Harry," said Ginny sighing.

"I know you are, Gin," Harry said, pulling her into a hug. He felt Ginny softening against his arms and a few seconds later, Ginny was crying wholeheartedly on his shoulder.

They didn't notice that Hermione, after leaving the room with Ron in tow, had left him in his room and without a word to him, had taken Harry's invisibility cloak and had followed Ginny and Harry.

Hermione's heart broke just as she watched Ginny crying. Her heart ached to occupy Harry's place, to comfort her and tell Ginny that she loved her as well. A couple of tears leaked from her eyes, her hand involuntarily moved to reach the crying girl, but she stopped halfway. She made a decision… She would tell her once and for all that she loved her and would prove it to her.

She moved silently away. She went back to the house and once she was sure that she hadn't been followed, Hermione climbed the stairs and opened the door to Harry and Ron's room quietly. She looked around; her heart was pounding in her chest, afraid of finding her boyfriend in the room. She sighed heavily, and seeing no sign of him, she opened Harry's trunk and placed the cloak back in it.

Once she closed the trunk, Hermione quietly left the room. Not noticing where she was going because the gears of her brain were working at high speed, trying to figure out a plan to tell the younger Weasley how she felt and prove it to her, she accidentally bumped into Ron who was heading to his room searching for his girlfriend and they landed on the bottom of the stairs with a loud thud. Hermione ended on top of Ron, who ended up squashed against the wooden floor.

Ginny happened to be passing by when she spotted them on the floor. She wrinkled her nose at the sight and said aloud, "For Merlin's sake, you two should get a room. We don't need this kind of show, right now." and stormed passed them to her room.

Hermione blushed; she didn't like Ginny's comment. She also didn't like Ginny thinking that she and Ron were fooling around, especially when it wasn't the case. This made her feel angry and guilty, because she had let things get out of control.

She lifted herself from the floor and tried to help Ron stand up, but he limited himself to say, "Bloody Hell, Hermione! Next time, watch where you're going!"

Hermione's temper rose in an instant. Her nostrils flared; she huffed and made her way outside, but not without hitting him on the ribs with her elbow, knocking the air out of his lungs.

Hermione entered the forest, walking absentmindedly, her anger getting the best of her. Slowly her temper started subsiding and she found herself within a hidden spot surrounded by several pines. Above the trees, she saw wild flowers of different colours and shapes growing and mushrooms with spotty red and white cups disseminated along the place. Sunrays penetrated the space between the trees creating a very nice and calming atmosphere.

She sat in the middle of the place, and rested her face on her knees. Hermione started reminiscing about everything that had happened between Ron and her. Then, her mind went to Ginny, and her heart jumped. There was no doubt in her mind that she wanted Ginny in her life. The question was how to go about it…

Shaking her head, Hermione told herself that she would have to be honest with Ron trying not to be spiteful or mean and tell him how she truly felt. Then there was Ginny, there was so many things she wanted to say to her, things that made her heart pump rapidly on her chest, threatening to burst at any minute. She clasped her hand over her mouth as a way to contain all the emotions inside. Her mind went blank for a few minutes in which she looked intently at the scenery in front of her. Suddenly, it came to her: "The wedding! Was there any more perfect moment to profess your love for someone?" Hermione smiled to herself as the mental image played on her mind. The music, the lights, the mood for love… It would be perfect!, It had to be!

She would tell Ginny once and for all everything, how she felt and would show it to her. There would be no fooling around any more. This would be the moment that would define it, "It would be all or nothing." Hermione said with resolution.

Hermione stood, brushed the dirt and the creases out of her clothes and started walking back towards the house. When she finally arrived in the garden, it was night-time and all the settings for the wedding had been put in place.

She stood briefly on the porch, thinking how to approach Ron and when she was ready, she sighed and walked in.

"Where have you been?" asked a very preoccupied Mrs. Weasley. "We have all been very worried about you, dear."

"I'm sorry, Mrs. Weasley. I was in the forest, near the river. I needed to do some thinking. I'm sorry if I worried you," answered Hermione, abashed for worrying them all.

"It's ok, dear," said Mrs. Weasley, "Is just that nowadays we have to be careful. We saved you some dinner, let me heat it for you," and waved her wand to do it.

Ginny, Harry and Ron were nowhere to be seen and Hermione stood in the kitchen with Mrs. Weasley keeping her company, while she ate her dinner until Mr. Weasley arrived from work.

Once she had said good-bye to them, she headed upstairs and knocked on Harry and Ron's door. "It's me, Hermione. Can I come in?"

A minute later, the door was opened and Harry let her in. He pointed towards Ron, who was standing in the corner of the room, with his arms crossed and was clearly very angry and said to Hermione, "He has been like that all afternoon. You two should better talk," and left the room, closing the door behind him.

Hermione got closer to Ron and placed her hand on Ron's shoulder. That seemed to do the trick and Ron softened a bit. "What's wrong with you, Hermione? You have been avoiding me, treating me like hell and I don't have a clue as to why. I know that I… "

"Ron, I have to be honest with you…" said Hermione, trying her best to make what she was going to say sound as soft as she could, yet she knew that it wasn't going to happen. "You're right, Ron. I haven't been fair to you and I owe you an explanation…You have to understand, that ever since I was little and I got to Hogwarts all I ever knew was you and Harry. We've been mates for a long time…I think at some point I started wondering if I had feelings for you. We started dating and everything seemed fine for a while. Then, you cheated on me with Lavender and that changed everything. It made me wonder once more what I was doing, why I was doing it. I started having doubts about you and me. Some feelings that I've had for someone else came to the surface all of a sudden. I thought that this was happening because of what you had done, yet it wasn't."

Hermione took a breath and continued, "I'm deeply and madly in love with someone else Ron. I have been for a very long time, but I've been afraid to accept the truth. I'm tired of hiding and lying. I feel terrible for letting you believe that everything was fine between us, for letting it go this far, but I have to be truthful with you, for the friendship that we have or we've had….

"The truth is that I like you, I like you very much - but as a friend," said Hermione. She noticed that Ron had tears in his eyes.

She hugged him tenderly for a few minutes in which he didn't utter a word. He was simply crying on her shoulder. Then, she kissed him on the cheek and said, "I understand if you hate me right now, but I think this is the best" Pulling away, she left the room.

Hermione opened Ginny's bedroom door and, looking inside, saw Ginny in bed sleeping. She moved closer to take a better look at Ginny. Hermione wanted to wake her up and pour out her heart, but as Ginny seemed so peaceful, so angelical, Hermione didn't dare disturb her.

After sighing inaudibly, she moved towards her trunk, grabbed her nightwear and headed for the bathroom to wash her face and change her clothes. Once in bed, sleep came to her almost instantly, but her dreams were meant to be restless.

A giant white marquee stood in the orchard filled with several rows of white covered chairs with golden ribbons and in the centre of them, stood a long purple carpet. The supporting pillars of the tent were entwined with white and gold flowers, while several balloons of the same colour stood where the future bride and groom were to be wed. The sun was shinning beautifully between the few clouds that were passing by and several butterflies and bees were hovering over the grass and flowers.

Inside the home, Hermione was gently awakened by the rays of the sun caressing her face. She opened her eyes and the brightness overwhelmed her; she turned to her right and adjusted to the room's light. From where she was, she could see Ginny's bed. Ginny had removed the covers from her body during the night and was only wearing her underwear. Hermione blushed at the sight and her body started reacting on its own. She had a mental picture of Ginny being close to her, staring at her warmly, their bodies getting close. When their noses touched, Ginny's eyes closed and she kissed Hermione gently. That picture sent a hot wave of desire and oblivious to her surroundings, Hermione started caressing herself.

The movement of the sleeping girl, alerted Hermione to come back from her fantasy and immediately stopped what she was doing. She covered herself with the blanket quickly and pretended to be asleep.

Ginny woke up all sweaty and wet between her legs. She and Hermione had been making love in her dreams. Groggily, she stepped out of bed and said, "Damn," cursing aloud the sensations that she was having and went to take a very cold shower.

Hermione sighed with relief when Ginny had left the room and thanked whatever God had saved her from humiliation. She went downstairs to have breakfast and found Harry, Ron and the rest of the Weasley family already having their meal in a hurry.

As soon as Mrs. Weasley saw Hermione, she beckoned her to sit down and, waving her wand, sent the food flying towards her. Ron looked at her with a sour face and then, getting up, cleaned the remains of the food and went upstairs. Hermione sighed, knowing full well that it would take some time for Ron to recover from the blow that she had caused. Harry winked at her and smiled to cheer her up. He was going to say something to her when Ginny showed up and said morning to everyone. Sensing the tension between Hermione and Ginny, Harry decided to keep quiet and continue eating the food that remained on his plate.

Hermione blushed at the sight of Ginny, remembering what she had almost been caught doing. Ginny in turn looked at her in puzzlement but didn't say anything. Ginny didn't have a choice but to sit down next to Hermione, since that was the only space available. She looked at her one more time, and saw her blush as she ate.

The rest of the occupants of the table, after finishing their meals, left the table, leaving Hermione and Ginny alone to get dressed.

Ginny was feeling playful that morning and decided to try a little experiment. Slowly, she moved her hand to Hermione's leg. Hermione responded by jumping and dropping some of the food out of the plate. This reaction was priceless to Ginny, who tried hard not to laugh. "My, my, Hermione…" said Ginny and getting close to her, whispered seductively, "aren't you jumpy this morning?" Ginny got up, set the dish in the sink and left Hermione standing there, goose bumps running all over her and wondering what on earth had happened.

Dazedly Hermione got up from the table and left to get dressed for the wedding. When she opened the door, she saw Ginny standing in one corner, looking at Hermione's things with a glazed expression.

Hermione went to her and gently, turned Ginny's head towards her, kissing her full on the lips. A surprised Ginny didn't respond at first, but the warmth in Hermione's mouth made her body overpower any reservations and she found herself kissing Hermione back. It wasn't long before her brain realized what was happening, making Ginny pull back from Hermione and say to her, "What are you doing, Hermione?"

"Isn't it obvious, Ginny?" answered Hermione as she licked her lips subconsciously.

Ginny didn't miss Hermione licking her lips, and it surprised her. She wanted to kiss her back and tell her lots of things. She asked herself why Hermione was doing this now. Could Hermione finally be developing feelings for her? No this is nonsense…

"Hermione," said Ginny with a slightly hoarse voice. She cleared her throat and said, "We should be getting ready for the wedding. Fleur should be here any minute now…" and moved out of the room towards the bathroom to wash her face, leaving Hermione with a hurt expression.

The bride to be, Fleur Delacour, along with her parents and sister arrived at the Burrow at eight in the morning. They were graciously greeted by Mrs. Weasley who let them in and ushered them into their rooms so they could prepare for the wedding, sending Ginny to assist them.

Ginny and Fleur's sister, Gabrielle, spent the whole morning and afternoon helping the bride.

At three o'clock, Harry who had taken a large dose of Polyjuice Potion to look like another Weasley relative for his own safety, stood outside the white marquee in the orchard along with Ron, Fred and George, waiting for the guests to arrive. Hermione arrived a minute later with the seating plans.

The guests made it to their places and chatted with each other, waiting with anticipation for the event to start. Hagrid, as usual broke a couple of chairs which where quickly fixed by Mrs. Weasley; he was then shown to a reinforced and extra sized chair at the back of the rows. People were staring at Hagrid, feeling a bit unsure as to whether to sit around him or not.

A few minutes later, the music started playing, announcing the arrival of the bride. Fleur was wearing an unconventional, yet fashionable-magical wedding dress: A white strapless dress with two black kissing phoenixes on the front. The black feathers of the birds blurred into white, spreading into the rest of the dress, giving an exotic yet elegant appearance to the bride.

The procession started with Fleur's sister, followed by Ginny, who each had a basket full with white and golden petals that were to be thrown as they walked.

Hermione gazed at Ginny, stunned by her beauty. Ginny was wearing a delicate white dress with pale-golden accents that fitted her perfectly and colour-matching high heels to complement the stunning look. Ginny's fiery hair was hanging loose and the tips of her hair were curved inwards.

A gentle nudge on Hermione's shoulder reminded her of where she was. She looked to the side and saw the red headed boy in which Harry had turned into. He winked at Hermione and looked to the front. Hermione thanked him by nodding and smiling shortly and turned her attention to the event.

The minute that Bill and Fleur become wife and husband, the balloons that George and Fred had enchanted turned into doves and they flew on top of the couple and tied a red ribbon in the shape of a heart. Cheers and applause came from all the guests. Once the wedded couple left the marquee, the celebration began.

The guests took their places among the tables that were laid out for them and started chatting among themselves. From time to time, Fleur and Bill would go to a table and greet their guests.

Ron, Hermione, and Harry in disguise were sitting at the same table, chatting amicably, but were soon interrupted by Mrs. Weasley who brought a guest over and told her to sit there… Aunt Muriel was Ron and her siblings' least favourite relative. They knew full well that she was an old hag who smelled like mould, and who seemed to find fault with everything and everyone, making everybody feel uncomfortable with her comments.

As soon as Muriel sat down and Molly had left to attend the other guests, she grabbed a glass of champagne that was flying by on a tray nearby and gulped it in a second. Then, grabbed another one, and did the same, astonishing the other occupants of the table. She placed the empty glass on the tablecloth and looked intently at the three youngsters in front of her without saying a word. Then, she took out of the handbag a pair of old rim glasses and put them on, examining Harry, Ron and Hermione. "Ronald, aren't you going to introduce me to your friends?" Muriel said.

"Ahm," muttered Ron, unsure if he should speak or not. Hermione took the change to nudge on his ribs to prompt him to reply, "Sure, this is Hermione," continued Ron while pointing at his left side flashing Hermione a quick angered look, then turning to his right, said, "and this is, Barney McKinley."

Muriel looked at Barney and she didn't like what she was seeing. His hair was dishevelled and several inches longer than it should have been right. That was enough for her to dislike him. Huffing, she rose from her chair and went to catch the waiter with the drinks, leaving Ron, Hermione and Harry to enjoy the moment.

"We should go and congratulate Bill and Fleur!" said Hermione and she rose from her sit, standing on tip-toe, trying to locate the couple. When she saw them, she vanished among the crowd of well-wishers.

Ron and Harry had taken the opportunity to mingle, trying to catch the attention of some lady, but Ron instead, caught sight of Victor Krum among the guest and his smile vanished. "What's he doing here?" asked Ron. And without a reply from Harry, went towards him.

Harry feeling alone wandered through the crowd when he spotted an old wizard sitting alone at a table. The wizard was very old, with cloudy white hair, a wrinkled nose and was wearing an olive green dress robe topped with a matching fez. Somehow he looked familiar to Harry… Suddenly, he realized that it was Elphias Doge, a prominent member of the Order of the Phoenix and the author behind Dumbledore's obituary.

Harry approached him, "May I sit down?"

"Of course," said Doge in a high-pitched voice.

"Mr. Doge, I'm Harry Potter," said Harry, leaning in.

Dodge gasped excited, "Arthur told me that you were going to be here, disguised. I'm so honoured to finally meet you!"

"The honour is all mine, sir," replied Harry as he shook hands with the old wizard. "I saw the obituary that you wrote on the Daily Prophet about Dumbledore…"

Elphias' eyes watered at the mention of Dumbledore's name, "I didn't know that you knew him so well, sir," added Harry cautiously.

Ron and Hermione some time later joined Harry at the table and listened to their conversation. They were soon interrupted by Muriel, who sat in the only available chair and started grabbing drinks from the passing waiters and drinking them in a hurry to the dismay of the others and making two cousins to leave in a hurry.

Ariadna and Charlie showed at the table and sat down on the remaining chairs. Muriel taking advantage of the interruption, commented, "Who's that Ginny's flirting with? What's with those two? Aren't there enough handsome wizards in here? In my days it was certainly different…" she ranted on.

Hermione's heart started beating rapidly on her chest as she saw the object of her affections chatting with Luna. The blood went to her ears, she couldn't listen to anything but her heart. She stood up and without saying a word, left and went towards Ginny and Luna; she didn't hear Muriel's comment of how rude youths were nowadays.

Ginny and Luna were sitting on a wooden circular bench built around a tree, not far from the dancing floor, and they were whispering. The tenderness with which Luna looked at Ginny, or the way Ginny smiled back. The gentle way in which Luna took Ginny's hand in hers to comfort Ginny made everyone that looked at them see a pair of old time lovers.

Hermione stood in front of the pair motionless, just watching them, her anger bubbling, trying to get to the surface, but her rational mind told her it wasn't the best idea. She composed herself a bit, and said a sad, "Hi"

Ginny was surprised to see Hermione standing in front of her and Luna, her face and everything about her seem to give an aura of sadness and she couldn't help but to move towards the girl and hug her tenderly, comfortingly, before timidly replying back. Luna chose that moment to disappear from sight to give them some space.

Hermione didn't move despite that this sudden reaction from Ginny made her body tingle and her heart race. She let herself enjoy the moment a bit longer, before whispering to Ginny's ear, "Why do you keep doing this to me, Ginny?"

"What do you mean, Hermione?" asked Ginny while pulling away slightly to look at her.

"Every time that I see you, you're with Luna or some other girl," replied Hermione sadly.

Ginny looked at Hermione intently for a few moments, trying to decipher what Hermione really wanted to know. Then, she took Hermione's hand in hers and guided her to the bench where Luna and she had been sitting not long ago.

"Hermione," Ginny said, "you know that I'm gay, that I like girls." Ginny paused to look at Hermione for any reaction. Seeing none, she continued, "I really don't get why you get so upset every time that you see me with a girl. I mean, after all, I told you not long ago, that my heart belonged to you, yet you decided to be with my brother."

"I think the reason is pretty obvious, Ginny," said Hermione a bit annoyed at having to spell it all out, to actually utter the words. "It's for the same reason that I kissed you when we were in your room."

An incredulous Ginny stared at the girl in front of her. She couldn't believe that Hermione wasn't capable of uttering the words that her heart ached to hear, to make it real, that everything that she had been dreaming was only a mere illusion, but something tangible. A few hours ago, she had been blessed by feeling Hermione's lips pressed against her own, to feel her warmth, yet she told herself that it couldn't be real, that Hermione was with her brother. What would she do? Ginny wanted badly to kiss Hermione and with that kiss tell her everything that her heart ached to pour out, but Ginny also deserved to hear it from Hermione's lips.

Ginny flipped a galleon in her head to decide what she should do, and when the coin landed on the floor of her mind and saw the results, she got herself ready to act upon them…. Ginny closed the gap between them, and not caring who was watching or where they were, she captured Hermione's lips with her own.


	34. Hide and Seek

Chapter 34

Hide and Seek

Ron looked at every person passing by; he was bored beyond reason of having to listen to Elphias talking with Harry about Dumbledore. He had been sitting there for a while, and he couldn't help but to miss Hermione. He knew that the bond between them was over because she was not in love with him. He couldn't stand there another minute; he rose from his chair and went looking for Hermione. He was crossing the dance floor when he stopped abruptly in his tracks. Ron couldn't believe what he was seeing. The information that his eyes were sending to his brain didn't make sense. His brain seemed paralyzed for a few more minutes and then realization hit him hard. Hermione had been thinking all this time about another Weasley: his sister, Ginny.

Anger filled him, empowering his limbs, making him go where the two girls stood kissing. Ron felt an eruption of anger starting from his stomach. He felt the lava of his blood pumping through his veins, threatening to explode at any minute. His throat constricted and an imperceptible guttural sound escaped from his lips.

In that precise moment, an elegant silver lynx Patronus landed in the middle of the dance floor, making some of the couples stop abruptly, while the others near them turned their heads astonished.

Kingsley Shacklebolt's voice coming out of the Patronus' mouth said: "The Ministry has fallen, Scrimgeour is dead. They are coming, be prepared."

And then, a high-pitch shriek from the Weasley matriarch was heard: "No!"

The Protective spells surrounding the place had been broken and everything seemed to play in slow motion: people screaming, running, apparating somewhere else as Dead Eaters showed up, throwing spells at anyone they saw.

Hermione grabbed Harry's hand taking him upstairs as he called Ron. A minute later Ron had joined them as he ducked a green jet of light.

"Grab only what's important and meet me here in five," said Hermione, looking intently at both boys. When they nodded, she entered Ginny's room and grabbed a red velvet bag with golden cord that she had hidden under her pillow and started throwing a couple of clothes to change into the bag. She looked around the room, her sight fixating on Ginny's bed… She wished she had had more time with her…

In the middle of the confusion Hermione had lost sight of Ginny. One moment they were kissing, next, someone bumped into them, tossing them to the floor and as she got up; Hermione looked around looking for Ginny, but she was gone.

Hermione caught sight of Harry amongst the crowd and remembering Dumbledore's words to her not long ago, Hermione approached Harry. She decided to take him and Ron to safety but she had forgotten important things in her room that they would need later. She took them along with her to the top floor where they went separate ways to grab their things.

Diving into the bag, she pulled a sheet of parchment, wrote frantically on it and folded it. Then she kissed it and placed it on Ginny's bed, mentally saying good-bye. Hermione left the room and joined the boys outside…

Hermione took one more second to look around before they were then swirling into the air, apparating somewhere else.

Harry, Ron and Hermione landed in front of Grimmauld's Place number 12 in London…

"Why did we end up here, Hermione?" asked Ron.

"It's the first place that came to mind," answered Hermione.

"What if we're being followed?" Ron looked around with uncertainty.

"Let's not take any chances and get into the house," said Harry as he mentally pictured the house in his mind.

The house started stretching in front of them, showing up between Muggle houses 11 and 13. Its shabby and dark exterior made it look very creepy but they didn't have anywhere else to go that was safe. They silently entered the mansion and closed the door behind them quietly. The lights in the interior of the house were dim and all they could see in the distance was an illuminated portrait with a black gothic frame covered by dusky drapes. They looked at each other, unsure about walking any further. Grabbing some courage, Harry took a step further in and in that instant, Mad Eye Moody's voice echoed through the house, "Severus Snape?"

"No," said Harry with slightly trembling voice, "It's Harry, Hermione and Ron."

A breaking silence followed, not a single squeak from a mouse could have been heard and then, as they took another step, the lights turned on and the covers of the portrait swung open and the painting started flying towards them as it screamed with an eerie voice, "Mudbloods and traitors in my house will not be allowed to remain."

In terror, no spell came out of their wands and the painting was getting closer and closer. Ron, Hermione and Harry closed their eyes to what was to come but nothing happened. When they opened their eyes, the portrait was hanging in its place and had the curtains closed. They wondered what had happened, if it had been a figment of their imagination.

"It's all right," said Ron shakily, "It's gone now, whatever it was."

"It was one of the protections of the house," said a voice that came from the staircases. They looked towards its source to find Ginny coming down to greet them. Hermione didn't know whether to run towards the girl and hug her dearly or stand in her place, but her heart won and she found herself running towards Ginny, caught up with her at the bottom of the stairs and hugged her tightly.

"What are you doing here?" asked Ron irritated by seeing his sister there and by the way in which Hermione reacted to her presence.

Ginny reluctantly let Hermione go to answer her brother, "Well, I thought that you'd like to know that everyone is safe and they send their regards. The house and communications are being monitored. Dad asked me to tell you when I saw you guys," she winked at Hermione flirtatiously.

Harry saw Ron's face blaze with anger. He knew how Ron felt about Hermione and Ginny and Harry tried to warn him to stay calm "Ron,"Harry said. But Ron didn't listen, "Do you think I'm stupid enough to believe that Dad let you come?" said Ron angrily.

Hermione saw in Ron's argument a valid point and without realizing it, her brow twitched while looking at Ginny.

When Ginny saw Hermione's reaction to her brother's questions, she felt a bit sad, but let it slide and answered, "Mom and Dad let me come on the condition that I tell you they are safe, Ronald. I can be very persistent when I want something, as you very well know" she said to Ron, but looked at Hermione to make a point.

Ron was about to say something but Ginny beat him to it and continued, "And before you ask… I knew that you were bound to come here at some point since this place was the meeting point for the Order of the Phoenix two years ago."

Ron didn't reply, but his face said it all: he was still pissed. Harry decided to stop this useless fighting between siblings.

"Ron, please let's forget about it and let's move upstairs, there are more pressing matters at the moment. I don't know about you, but I'm exhausted and need some rest," Harry said. He climbed the stairs towards the room that had been his and Ron the last time that they had been in the house. He winked at Ginny as he passed by. A couple of minutes later, Ron followed Harry. He didn't turn to look at his sister nor Hermione.

When the boys had closed the door, Ginny turned to look tenderly at Hermione who was still staring at her with inquisitive eyes. She took Hermione's hand and guided her to their bedroom. When they entered the room, Hermione waited for Ginny to close the door behind them to ask her a question, but she was never able to since Ginny captured her lips for a deep kiss.

The blissful moment was abruptly stopped as Ginny pulled away gently.

"I'm sorry, I couldn't resist it any longer. I had to kiss you," said Ginny hoarsely from the kiss. She paused briefly to catch her breath.

Disappointed, Hermione took the opportunity to ask, "Why did you stop?"

"I'm sorry, Hermione, but there are some things that we need to talk about," replied Ginny apologetically. There was nothing else that she wanted more at that moment than to continue kissing Hermione and show her how much she meant to her, but Ginny needed to be sure that Hermione loved her back, that she wasn't just imagining things. She needed to hear Hermione say to her that she loved her.

Hermione didn't want to talk, she felt aroused and wanted to keep kissing Ginny but nonetheless she kept quiet waiting for Ginny to start the conversation…

"Hermione, I don't know where to start… I guess I should tell you how I ended up here after splitting up at my brother's wedding."

"Yes," Hermione said, "Everything happened so quickly… I remember that one minute we were kissing, next someone bumped into us, I fell to the floor and next thing I know is that you're nowhere to be seen. What happened?"

"Well, after they bumped into us, I fell to the floor as well. As I stood, a Death Eater threw a spell towards me. I was able to dock it in time but there were so many people running from one side to the other, running away from the spells. One thing led to the other and I end up fighting along with Luna. I looked for you everywhere but I couldn't find you. By the time that I reached my room, you were gone and I saw the letter in my bed. I couldn't read it there with everything that was going on, so I apparated to a Muggle pub. I entered the pub and read your letter…"

_Dear Ginny,_

_I wish I had had more time with you to tell you and show you what you really mean to me. Things are going to be hard from now on. Ron, Harry and I won't be coming back to Hogwarts. There are some important things that we need to do. I can't let Harry to go alone in this journey.  
I'm sorry for having to say good-bye like this, but you have to understand that I can't let you come with us. Danger is ahead and I don't want you getting hurt because of me._

_Love,_

_Hermione. _

"I knew that since Grimmaulds Place was where the Order used to meet, that you were bound to go there and I had to talk to you after reading your letter. I apparated to Charlotte's place and through a Patronus told mom and dad that I would go looking for you. I knew full well that would mean not going back home but it didn't matter to me. All I cared was to find you and be with you, so I didn't accept no for an answer. They complied in the end with the condition that I'd tell you that everyone was safe and that the traditional means of communication were being monitored."

"Hermione, I need to know… Do you love me?"

Hermione looked at Ginny intently as she replied, "You already know the answer, Ginny."

"I need to hear you say it, Hermione. I need to know that it's true," pleaded Ginny.

Hermione looked at Ginny intently as she said, "I love you Ginny Weasley."

Ginny's heartbeat quickened at this admission, and from her eye a tear fell. Finally, Hermione had uttered the words that her heart had ached to hear. She crossed the distance between them and captured Hermione's lips in a soul-searing kiss.

Hermione melted instantly and kissed Ginny back. They kept kissing deeply and when Ginny moved her kisses to Hermione's neck, a moaned escaped from her lips. Their breathing became erratic, clothes started flying and between mouthful of kisses, Ginny guided Hermione towards the bed.

Ginny managed gently to position herself on top of Hermione and stood silently admiring the beauty before her for a few minutes. Hermione in turn, looked at Ginny fixedly, her eyes obscured with desire and love. In her mind, she wondered if Ginny liked what she was seeing, and sensing Ginny's gaze analysing every inch of her semi-naked body, felt her body grow hotter, her heart beat faster on her chest and felt wetness between her legs.

Hermione blushed and asked seductively, "Do you like what you're seeing?"

"My God…" said Ginny, still admiring her. Ginny looked at Hermione straight in the eye and added, "You're beautiful, Hermione," and kissed her tenderly. Then, she trailed kisses down Hermione's body, enjoying it immensely as she took off Hermione's bra.

When she reached Hermione's panties, she slowed down and took in her smell. She closed her eyes as she enjoyed the aroma and without realizing she licked her lips. She kissed Hermione's legs gently, tauntingly, as she removed Hermione's underwear.

Ginny moved slowly towards Hermione's lips claiming them as her own. Her hand slowly moved downside, carefully caressing each part as she reached Hermione's mound. Ginny started caressing her clit with circular motions, making Hermione gasp and the wetness between her legs to increase.

Ginny couldn't take it any longer; she couldn't resist the urge of feeling Hermione. She gently introduced a finger inside of her and Hermione gasped even louder this time. Then, she pulled her finger in and out. She moved down towards Hermione's breasts. She licked her left breast in a circular way and then sucked her nipple. Ginny moved to the other one and did the same.

Hermione felt a wave of pleasure coming, as Ginny expertly kept penetrating her while touching her clit at the same time. Hermione's eyesight became clouded, as the sensations kept growing stronger and stronger, a powerful orgasm building inside of her. She cried Ginny's name out loud as she grabbed the pillow behind her firmly. As she came, Ginny moved to kiss her tenderly on the lips and laid down next to her waiting for Hermione's breath to calm down.

Hermione opened her eyes and found herself on one of the room's at Grimmauld Place; she turned sideways, finding Ginny in her underwear asleep next to her. At some point they must have fallen asleep.

Hermione looked at the sleeping girl and a smile spread through her lips. Her eyes followed every curve on Ginny's body, her hand moved to touch Ginny's arm but stopped midway afraid to wake her up. Hermione was motionless for a few more minutes, staring at the ceiling thinking about Ginny and her until a gentle knock on the door was heard.

Hermione snuck out of bed, quickly put on a long t-shirt and a pair of boxers out of her bag and opened the door slightly.

"Hi, Hermione," said Harry timidly when he saw what Hermione was wearing and blushed, "hope I didn't interrupt anything, but I need to talk to you. Do you mind coming with us?"

"You didn't interrupt anything, Harry," answered Hermione whispering, "Ginny is sleeping, I'll join you in a bit."

Harry nodded and went to his room. Hermione closed the door and looked at Ginny who was still sleeping peacefully. She sighed inwardly, mentally sending the younger girl a kiss and marvelling at her beauty. Hermione grabbed her trousers and slipped them on to join the boys in the other bedroom.

When Hermione entered the room, she saw that it was big and it had an aura of grandeur. There was a large dark mahogany four-poster bed with Celtic carvings on the headboard, a tall window was concealed by a long velvet curtain and a black chandelier with golden accents coated in dusk and solid wax hanging in frost-like drips. A heavy thick layer of dust covered the headboard and the pictures that were hanging on the walls. There was a wooden wardrobe matching the bed from which corner a large spider's web dangled; several Gryffindor posters plastered in the ceiling along with Muggle pictures taken from magazines of girls in bikini.

The floor, Hermione observed, was very messy. Papers were scattered everywhere. Ron, who was at the far end corner of the room, had crossed arms and a sour look while Harry stood near the bed, examining some documents. When Harry sensed Hermione, he turned to look at her, smiling.

"Come in," Harry said to Hermione, "take a look at this…" handing her the piece of paper that he had been examining.

Hermione took the paper in and read it carefully and said, "Where did you find this, Harry?"

"In here," said Harry, "between this mess of papers."

"I see… Was the room like this when you entered?"

"Yes, it was. Was it the same in Gi…Your room?" asked Harry.

Hermione blushed slightly. She hadn't paid attention to the room, not after she had felt Ginny's lips pressed against her. She couldn't admit it to Harry….

Harry noticed Hermione deep in thought, and saw her blushing. He didn't want her to feel bad, and knowing that Ron was in the room, Harry decided to change the subject by showing her a picture that he had also found on the floor.

Hermione saw in the picture an elated little Harry mounting a miniature-sized broomstick and a pair of legs chasing little Harry. She smiled.

Harry gave her a torn piece of paper but before she could say anything he added, "I've been looking for the rest of the letter but I can't find it. I've looked everywhere. Whoever was in the house before us, seems to have taken it. I reckon that they took it because it had information about Dumbledore… I wonder what it was." There was a long pause as the three pondered what the rest of the letter might have said. Harry leaned in and whispered, "There's something that I must tell you two, though."

"After Hermione left the table where Ron and I were sitting, Elphias Dodge, Aunt Muriel and I were talking about Dumbledore and she mentioned that Bathilda Bagshot lives in Godric Hollow and so did Dumbledore…" Harry looked at both of them briefly and then said, "and as I was going through the scattered papers, I found this…"

Hermione read the letter carefully for a few minutes, analysing every inch of it. After a few minutes, she said, "I hope that you're not seriously considering going to Godric's Hollow, Harry."

"Why not, Hermione?" asked Harry an inch higher than he intended.

"I understand that you'd like to talk with her about your mom and Dumbledore, but that would divert us from the task that Dumbledore gave us."

Harry said cautiously, "Hermione, I don't mean to be disrespectful with you guys, but Dumbledore assigned this task to me, the journey that I should take will be dangerous and I don't want to put your lives in jeopardy."

Despite their differences, Hermione and Ron joined forces. They looked at one another silently agreeing. Hermione spoke for both of them, "Harry, we've been friends for a long time. We've been through a lot together in all the years that we've been at Hogwarts and I know that I speak for both Ron and I when I say this: We won't let you go alone. You don't have to carry this burden alone."

Harry' eyes were tearful. His heart was filled with emotion and gratitude towards both of them. He mouthed a Thank you and embraced both of them tightly, conveying his feelings in that gesture.

Ginny woke up panting, her body drenched in sweat because of what she had been dreaming. The images of what she had seen scared her terribly: Watching Hermione wounded, defenceless, lying in the floor unconscious and waiting to be killed by the predator Death Eater that was walking towards her, wand at the ready to kill her. Ginny saw herself incapable of reaching out to Hermione as she was being restrained by two Death Eaters despite her effortless tries for release.

Ginny looked at her side, seeking comfort in Hermione, but Hermione was nowhere in sight. Disappointed, she rose from the bed and was about to walk out of the room towards the bathroom, when she saw a naked reflection of herself in the mirror. She cursed out loud. Taking a shirt out of her bag, Ginny headed for the bathroom to cleanse a bit.

Once presentable, she went to the boys' room in search of Hermione.

"Hello," said Ginny as she entered the slightly open door. Noticing that Hermione, Ron and Harry had gone silent, she said, "Did I interrupt anything?"

"I don't know about you," said Ron irritated, "but I'm starving. I'm going to the kitchen to have breakfast." He hit Ginny with his elbow on the arm as he passed by.

"Ouch," exclaimed Ginny, her temper rose at her brother's behaviour and before anyone could do a thing, Ginny followed him. Displeased, Hermione twitched her eyebrow and crossed her arms unwittingly. Harry came from behind and put a reassuring arm around her. Hermione shook her head once and said, "I wish these two would stop fighting."

"I know, Hermione. Let's go grab some breakfast while we keep an eye on them."

They were on the landing, just below the second floor when Harry noticed deep scratch marks on one of the doors and a sign that was barely visible.

"Hermione, wait," said Harry.

"What's the matter?" asked Hermione while looking at him.

"Look," he replied and pointed towards the sign.

Hermione saw then a door that she hadn't noticed before in all the time that they had spent in Sirius' home. She saw the scratch marks and a golden sign with a neat handwriting. The text was not readable from where they were. Kneeling down, they read:

Do Not Enter

Without Express Permission of

Regulus Arcturus Black

Hermione studied the sign and the scratch marks on the door carefully. Meanwhile, Harry was thinking about the sign.

"_R.A.B." _thought Harry. Those were the same initials that were in the locket that he and Dumbledore had found in their last trip together… at Tom's Riddle Cave.

"Well, I think that those scratches on the door were made by a dog. I think this room belong to Sirius' brother, Harry," said Hermione as she studied him carefully. "What is it?" asked Hermione as she saw him frowning.

"Just before Dumbledore died by Snape's hands, he and I had gone to a cave in which Voldemort used to terrorize other children. It was an immense cave with a quiet and disturbing black lake which had a barely visible floating island lighted by a green light."

"We managed to cross the lake and arrive at the island with a hidden boat. I took a look at the water, Hermione… It was awful. There were tons of burned bodies at the bottom. Don't ask me how it was possible for me to see them, as the water was so dark at one moment, yet in another, it wasn't. Dumbledore motioned me forward, until we reached a stone pillar, holding a dark basin containing some liquid."

"Dumbledore drank the liquid slowly, each time becoming more painful. I had to make him drink it all, for he had made me swear that I would do it. By the end, I had to give him a drink from the lake and the bodies that I had seen on the depths of the lake reanimated and started coming out of the water to attacks us. Dumbledore fought them off as I took a locket from the basin. We barely managed to flee."

"This locket," said Harry pulling it out of his right trousers pocket to show it to Hermione, "as you can see, has R.A.B inscribed at the back. I have been wondering what it meant, but with Dumbledore's funeral and everything that has happened since, I never had the chance to show it to you. I think… by looking at the sign on the door that this locket belonged to Sirius's brother, Hermione."

Hermione examined the locket carefully, and her brain absorbed every single detail about it. After what seemed a long time, she asked, "Why do you reckon that this locket belonged to Sirius's brother, Harry?"

"Sirius told me that his brother had been a Death Eater. He joined up when he was very young and at some point, he got cold feet and tried to leave. He never made it… they killed him."

"That certainly fits, Harry!" gasped Hermione. "He would have had access to Voldemort and his secrets, and if he became disenchanted, he would have wanted to bring Voldemort down!"

"Ron! Ron! Come up here, quick!"

Ron and Ginny rushed to the stairway. Ron arrived first panting a minute later, his wand ready in his hand. "What is it?"

Hermione said, "Look at this," and handed the locket for him to see. Then, she told him what Harry had said to her and pointed at the sign on the door.

Ginny, who had been standing behind her brother, said, "Well, there's only one way to find out." She pointed her wand at the door and said, 'Alohomora." A click was heard and the door swung open.

Ron was still very angry with his sister; he couldn't believe how she had been able to steal Hermione from him. He couldn't understand what Hermione had seen in his sister or what Ginny had done to change Hermione to what she was now. These thoughts ran in his brain obsessively, erasing more and more the brother-sister bond in his mind. There had been a moment, as they had been in the kitchen alone, arguing, where he could have punched Ginny hard but Hermione calling him from the stairs had miraculously saved her from that fate.

He didn't agree with Hermione spilling the beans in Voldemort's regard in front of Ginny, and not because he was feeling brotherly protective, but because he knew that if something happened to Ginny, their parents would not forgive him. He had always been afraid of their mom and the thought of seeing her angry and punishing him, was something that he couldn't stand. Yet, he didn't say a thing. Instead, he tagged along with the others, entering the room.

Regulus's room was slightly smaller than his brother's, though it had the same sense of grandeur. There was an exact replica of Sirius's four-poster bed and furniture yet the decoration changed drastically. While one was accentuated the red and gold colours, in this one, the emerald and silver prevailed, blossoming the walls, drapes and covering the bed. The Black family crest was placed in the centre of the wall where the bed rested. It was painted in a white canvas, along with the motto: Toujours Pur and was framed in wood, matching the rest of the furniture.

Next to Regulus's desk, there was what looked like a large collection of yellow newspaper cuttings that formed a ragged collage. Hermione went to examine them. She took a couple and sat in the dusty bed. A big puff of dust flew and she coughed briefly before saying, "They all are about Voldemort. Regulus must have been his fan, long before he joined the Death Eaters, Harry."

Harry was looking at the moving pictures in the desk and noticed that Sirius brother had played Quidditch. He examined the picture and noticed the position that the boy in the picture was occupying… 'He had been a seeker!' Harry thought.

Harry observed that everyone was busy, looking for clues around the messy room. Suddenly, Hermione gasped and all eyes set on her. "Oh my God!"

"What is it, Hermione?" asked Harry.

"There was a locket like this one, Harry." replied Hermione.

"When?" asked Ron.

"Ahhh," said Ginny, "Was it last time that we were here? When mom put us all to clean?" as she looked at Hermione.

"Yes. It was among all the things that we trashed, things we couldn't open or didn't work, remember?" Hermione asked everyone.

"Fuck!" yelled Ron, surprising everyone. Noticing that all eyes were set on him, he blushed and combed his hair with his hand and said, "Sorry."

Looking back at Hermione, Harry said, "Kreacher nicked lots of stuff from us, maybe he still has it."

"You could be right," mustered Hermione and they all went and searched through the Elfs' possessions.

They searched and searched but the locket could not be found. Harry in desperation, muttered, "This isn't over yet." He raised his voice and said, "Kreacher!"

There was a loud crack and the house-elf that Harry had inherited from Sirius appeared in front of them. He was small for a typical house elf, had big bat-ears, big dark eyes, hair white as snow and ragged clothes. His pale skin was hanging off him in folds.

Kreacher bowed low, "Master," and muttering to his knees, "back in my mistress's old house with the blood traitors Weasley's and the Mudblood."

Harry was very angry with the elf for calling his friends such nasty names. He was about to yell to him when he looked at Hermione and with just a glance, she told him to behave and treat him with dignity. Harry took a breath and said calmly, "Kreacher, I forbid you to call anyone blood traitor or Mudblood."

The elf bowing low again, his snout-like nose reached the floor as he answered, "Yes, Master." He was surprised for not being yelled at.

"Last time we were here, there was a big gold locket in the drawing room upstairs. Just like this one," said Harry showing him the fake locket. "We threw it out along with other things. Did you steal it back?"

After a short pause, the elf replied, "Yes."

"Could you please tell me where it is?" asked Harry politely. Ron, Hermione and Ginny looked cheerful.

The elf looked at Harry surprised, then, he looked at the others as if assessing them. After another pause, he closed his eyes, lowered his head painfully and said, "Gone."

"What do you mean it's gone, Kreacher?" asked Harry, his heart sinking to the bottom.

With eyes still closed, the elf replied, "Mundungus Fletcher stole it all: Miss Bella and Miss Cissy's pictures, my mistress's gloves, the Order of Merlin First Class, the goblet with the family crest and…" Gulping for air, his hollow chest rising and falling rapidly as his eyes flew open and he screamed painfully, "and the locket, Master Regulus's locket. Kreacher did wrong, Kreacher failed in his orders!" he began to cry disconsolately as he pulled his ears strangely and pulled from his clothes. He was about to lunge for the poker standing in the grate, but was stopped by Harry who foresaw what the elf was about to do and launched himself upon him, flattening him to the horror of Hermione and Ginny and the surprise of Ron. The elf tried to break free from Harry but it was useless, the weight over him was too much. He lay on the floor resignedly.

"Harry, let him up!" pleaded Hermione.

"I will not allow him to poke himself with the poker, Hermione," said Harry, not moving an inch.

Hermione looked at Kreacher and said, "I don't think that he will do that, Harry. "Right Kreacher?"

"How do you know that Mundungus Fletcher stole those things," asked Hermione. The elf half nodded to Hermione, willing to do anything to get free from Harry's weight.

Reluctantly, Harry stood up, allowing Kreacher to move. The elf looked at Hermione briefly, and in a thankful gesture he slightly bowed to her. Then he turned back to look at Harry and said, "Kreacher saw him stealing," Renewed tears appeared on Kreacher's eyes that poured over his snout and mouth, discovering a set of grey teeth. "He came out of Kreacher's cupboard with hands full of Kreacher's treasures. Kreacher told him to stop, but the snicker-thief laughed and ran away…"

Harry interrupted the elf's story asking, "You said earlier that the locket belonged to Master Regulus, Why did you say that?"

The elf was about to reply when Harry interrupted again, "Come here, sit up." said, motioning the elf to sit down."

The elf looked at Harry surprised. Then he looked at everyone once more, wondering if he was about to be harmed. He carefully sat down in a nearby chair and waited for Harry to continue.

Harry said, "Where did this locket came from? What did Regulus have to do with it? Please tell me everything you know about it"

Kreacher sat up, curled into a ball, placed his wet face between his knees and began to rock back and forth. He spoke almost in a whisper yet in the silence of the place was perfectly audible. "Master Sirius, being a bad boy ran away from home and broke my mistresses heart with his lawless ways. Master Regulus on the contrary, had proper pride; he knew about what the name of Black meant and the dignity that entailed. For years, he talked of the Dark Lord, who was going to bring wizards everywhere out of hiding to make themselves visible to Muggles and Muggle-borns to rule them under one government only, where the supremacy of the wizards prevailed."

"When Master Regulus was sixteen years old, he joined the Dark Lord forces. He was so proud, so happy to serve him and to bring honour to the House of Black…"

"A year after he had joined, one day, he came down to the kitchen to see Kreacher. Master Regulus always liked Kreacher, always treated him fairly. He said to Kreacher…" The elf rocked faster and faster over the chair. "The Dark Lord requires an elf. I want you to help him, Kreacher. Would you be willing to do it, for me? For Master Regulus?"

Hermione, Ron, Harry and Ginny all looked puzzled. "Voldemort needed an elf?" asked Harry aloud. Ginny wondered, "Why would You-Know-Who need an elf?"

"Oh yes," replied the elf. "Master Regulus had volunteered Kreacher. Kreacher would do whatever the Dark Lord ordered him to do. It would be an honour for Kreacher because Master Regulus asked me to do it and when Kreacher finished, to come home. Kreacher would have done anything for him." The elf rocked even faster, his breath coming in sobs now. "So Kreacher went to the Dark Lord. The Dark Lord took Kreacher with him to a cave beside the sea. Beyond the cave there was a cavern and a great black lake…"

Harry shivered, and the hairs in the back of his neck stood up. The elf's voice echoed in the kitchen one moment and the next he was transporting them to that night…

They saw what had happened as clearly as though they had been present…

"In the centre of the vast lake, was an island lighted with a glowing green light. There was a tiny dark boat that was glowing green as well and was hidden between the moist stones of the cave. It was bewitched to carry one wizard and someone else towards the island…"

"The Dark Lord and Kreacher reached the island and found a basin full of a green potion. He made Kreacher drink it…" and Kreacher shuddered, his face looked paled. "Kreacher saw horrible things as he drank. It hurt, it hurt so much, but he made Kreacher drink and drink. Kreacher's insides burned really bad. Kreacher cried for Master Regulus and for Mistress Black to save him, but Kreacher kept drinking until there was no more liquid left on the basin. Then, the Dark Lord dropped a golden locket into the empty basin and filled it with more potion."

"Kreacher cried over and over, the pain was terrible. The Dark Lord watched Kreacher and laughed, the harder Kreacher cried and yelled, the more that he laughed. Finally, The Dark Lord sailed away, leaving Kreacher behind… his laugher echoing through the walls of the cave."

"Kreacher needed water, he crawled to the island's edge. Kreacher saw several burned bodies in the bottom of the lake with stretched hands. Severed hands and other parts scattered through the ground, but Kreacher was thirsty… so Kreacher drank and those things reanimated and dragged Kreacher under the surface. His eyes stared right at Kreacher, burning with intensity. Kreacher thought he was going to die…"

"How did you get away, Kreacher?" asked Hermione almost in a whisper.

"Master Regulus told Kreacher to come back home," replied the elf.

"We know, Kreacher, but how did you escape the Inferi?" asked Harry

The elf did not seem to understand why he was being asked the same question twice. He looked at Harry and repeated, " Master Regulus told Kreacher to come back home."

Harry was about to say something when Ron beat him to it and said, "Well, it's obvious, Harry. He disapparated."

"But, you couldn't apparate in and out of that cave, Ron. I know from experience. Otherwise Dumbledore…" said Harry. Ron looked at him suspiciously.

Hermione interrupted, "Elf magic isn't like wizard's magic, Harry. You should know that by now. They can apparate and disapparate in and out of Hogwarts when we can't."

Harry thought about it for a few minutes and then said, "But… how could Voldermort make such a huge mistake?"

"You have to remember Harry, that for Voldemort the most important thing is the pureness of the blood. Elf-like creatures are inferior to him, they were and are worse than animals to him. So, it's natural to assume that it never occurred to him that house-elfs could have magic that he didn't," replied Hermione in a cold like voice.

Ginny, knowing Hermione and how much affected her elfish rights, moved a bit closer to her and placed her hand on Hermione's back to calm her.

Kreacher assessed what Hermione had just said by nodding and then pronounced solemnly, "The house-elf's highest law is his master's bidding…" "Kreacher was told to come home, so he did," added the elf proudly.

Hermione kindly said, "You did well, Kreacher." and the elf shook his head acknowledging it.

"When Kreacher came back, Kreacher found that Master Regulus was very worried. Master Regulus told Kreacher to remain hidden and not leave the house under any circumstance. A little while later, there was a night which Master came to find Kreacher in his cupboard. Master seemed strange, not as he usually was, disturbed in his mind. He asked Kreacher to take him to the cave where the Dark Lord had taken Kreacher…" "Kreacher did as he was told. Kreacher showed the cave to Master and made it to the island…" said the elf with trembling voice. He shook his head and started crying. Between sobs, the elf said, "Master took from his pocket a locket like the one the Dark Lord had placed in the basin and told Kreacher to replace the locket with that one, once the basin was empty. He wouldn't let Kreacher drink the potion…He drank it…" Kreacher's sobs came in great rasps now... "Kreacher knew the pain… so terrible… and all that Kreacher could do was to watch. Kreacher swapped the lockets. Kreacher was ordered to go home, to destroy the first locket and never disclose to my Mistress his fate. Kreacher couldn't leave, Kreacher watched as Master Regulus was dragged beneath the water…"

Hermione, Ron, Harry and Ginny shuddered. Hermione wailed, "Oh, Kreacher!" On an impulse, she went beside the elf and tried to hug him. He jumped at once, landing on his feet and moved away before she could do anything. He looked at her strangely but didn't say anything.

"So did you manage to destroy it, Kreacher?" asked Harry and Hermione kept her distance from the elf.

When he spoke, his voice was distant, he was staring to something beyond the kitchen, "Kreacher tried everything to destroy it, but nothing made any mark upon it. Kreacher was sure that the way to destroy it, was to open it, but it never did. Kreacher failed Master Regulus…"

"Kreacher," said Harry, "I want you to do me a favour… Please go and find Mundungus Fletcher. We need to find out where Master Regulus's locket is. We want to finish what he started so that he didn't die in vain. Could you do that for us?"

Kreacher nodded and was about to leave when Harry stopped him. "Kreacher, before you go, there's something that belongs to you…" He pulled the fake locket out of his trousers and gave it to the elf. "I'm sure Master Regulus would have wanted you to have it,"

The elf looked puzzled, he looked at the locket and then to Harry as if to assessing whether this was true or not. He let out a howl of shock and misery and threw himself back on the ground.

It took the elf some time to compose but when he had finished, he bowed to Harry in gratitude for giving him a Black's family heirloom for himself and went to his cupboard to place it there. Then, he returned to the kitchen, bowed to everybody and dissaparated.


End file.
